Oligodeoxynucleotide nanostructure formation in the presence of polypropyleneimine dendrimers and their uptake in breast cancer cells

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Alex M.; Santhakumaran, Latha M.; Nair, Sandhya K.; Amenta, Peter S.; Thomas, Thresia; He, Huixin; Thomas, T. J.

2006-11-01

We studied the efficacy of five generations of polypropyleneimine (PPI) dendrimer to provoke nanostructure formation from a 21-nucleotide antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN). Nanostructure formation was observed with all generations of dendrimer by light scattering and microscopic techniques. The efficacy of the dendrimers increased with generation number. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the morphology of the structures at different condensation stages. Based on the observed nanostructures, we propose a zipping condensation mechanism, which is very different from the condensation pathways of high molecular weight DNA polymers. Electron microscopy showed the presence of toroidal nanoparticles. Confocal microscopic analysis showed that the nanostructures formed with G-4 and G-5 dendrimers could undergo facile cellular uptake in a breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, whereas nanostructures formed with G-1 to G-3 dendrimers lacked this ability. Nanoparticles formed with G-1 to G-3 dendrimers showed significantly lower zeta potential (5.2-6.5 mV) than those (12-18 mV) of particles formed with G-4 and G-5 dendrimers. These results show that the structure and charge density of the dendrimers are important in ODN nanoparticle formation and cellular transport and that G-4 and G-5 dendrimers are useful in cellular delivery of antisense ODN.

Formation of strain-induced quantum dots in gated semiconductor nanostructures

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Ted Thorbeck

2015-08-01

Full Text Available A long-standing mystery in the field of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs is: Why are there so many unintentional dots (also known as disorder dots which are neither expected nor controllable. It is typically assumed that these unintentional dots are due to charged defects, however the frequency and predictability of the location of the unintentional QDs suggests there might be additional mechanisms causing the unintentional QDs besides charged defects. We show that the typical strains in a semiconductor nanostructure from metal gates are large enough to create strain-induced quantum dots. We simulate a commonly used QD device architecture, metal gates on bulk silicon, and show the formation of strain-induced QDs. The strain-induced QD can be eliminated by replacing the metal gates with poly-silicon gates. Thus strain can be as important as electrostatics to QD device operation operation.

Spontaneous formation of gold nanostructures in aqueous microdroplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae Kyoo; Samanta, Devleena; Nam, Hong Gil; Zare, Richard N

2018-04-19

The synthesis of gold nanostructures has received widespread attention owing to many important applications. We report the accelerated synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), as well as the reducing-agent-free and template-free synthesis of gold nanoparticles and nanowires in aerosol microdroplets. At first, the AuNP synthesis are carried out by fusing two aqueous microdroplet streams containing chloroauric acid and sodium borohydride. The AuNPs (~7 nm in diameter) are produced within 60 µs at the rate of 0.24 nm µs -1 . Compared to bulk solution, microdroplets enhance the size and the growth rate of AuNPs by factors of about 2.1 and 1.2 × 10 5 , respectively. Later, we find that gold nanoparticles and nanowires (~7 nm wide and >2000 nm long) are also formed in microdroplets in the absence of any added reducing agent, template, or externally applied charge. Thus, water microdroplets not only accelerate the synthesis of AuNPs by orders of magnitude, but they also cause spontaneous formation of gold nanostructures.

Plasma-induced formation of flower-like Ag2O nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Zen-Hung; Ho, Chun-Hsien; Lee, Szetsen

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Flower-like Ag 2 O nanostructures. - Highlights: • Flower-like Ag 2 O nanostructures were synthesized from Ag colloids using plasma. • XPS was used to monitor plasma treatment effect on Ag colloids. • SERS of methyl orange was used to monitor the plasma oxidation–reduction processes. • Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was performed using Ag 2 O. • Ag 2 O is a more efficient visible light photocatalyst than Ag colloids. - Abstract: Plasma treatment effect on Ag colloids was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) techniques. XPS showed that O 2 plasma was critical in removing organic residues in Ag colloids synthesized using citric acid as a reducing agent. With O 2 plasma treatment, Ag colloids were also oxidized to form flower-like Ag 2 O nanostructures. The formation mechanism is proposed. The SERS spectral intensity of methyl orange (MO) adsorbed on Ag surface became deteriorated with O 2 plasma treatment. Followed by H 2 plasma treatment, the SERS intensity of MO on Ag regained, which indicated that Ag 2 O has been reduced to Ag. Nonetheless, the reduction by H 2 plasma could not bring Ag back to the original as-synthesized nanoparticle morphology. The flower-like nanostructure morphology still remained. The photocatalytic degradation reactions of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solutions were carried out using Ag colloids and Ag 2 O nanostructures. The results show that Ag 2 O is more efficient than Ag colloids and many other metal oxides for the photocatalytic degradation of MB in solution when utilizing visible light

Laser generation of nanostructures on the surface and in the bulk of solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bityurin, N M

2010-01-01

This paper considers nanostructuring of solid surfaces by nano-optical techniques, primarily by laser particle nanolithography. Threshold processes are examined that can be used for laser structuring of solid surfaces, with particular attention to laser swelling of materials. Fundamental spatial resolution issues in three-dimensional (3D) laser nanostructuring are analysed with application to laser nanopolymerisation and 3D optical information recording. The formation of nanostructures in the bulk of solids due to their structural instability under irradiation is exemplified by photoinduced formation of nanocomposites. (photonics and nanotechnology)

Formation of titanate nanostructures under different NaOH concentration and their application in wastewater treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Jiquan; Cao Yongge; Deng Zhonghua; Tong Hao

2011-01-01

The effects of the concentration of NaOH on the formation and transformation of various titanate nanostructures were studied. With increasing NaOH concentration, three different formation mechanisms were proposed. Nanotubes can only be obtained under moderate NaOH conditions, and should transform into nanowires with prolonged hydrothermal treatment, and their formation rate is accelerated by increasing NaOH concentration. Low concentration of NaOH results in the direct formation of nanowires, while extra high concentration of NaOH leads to the formation of amorphous nanoparticles. Adsorption and photocatalysis studies show that titanate nanowires and nanotubes might be potential adsorbents for the removal of both heavy metal ions and dyes and photocatalysts for the removal of dyes from wastewater. -- Graphical abstract: The morphologies of the titanates depend deeply on the concentration of NaOH. With increasing NaOH concentration, three different formation mechanisms were proposed. The application of these titanate nanostructures in the wastewater treatment was studied. Display Omitted Research highlights: → Effect of NaOH concentration on the structures of various titanates was reported. → Three different formation mechanisms were presented with increasing NaOH concentration. → Various titanates were used as adsorbents/photocatalysts in wastewater treatment.

Piezoelectric ZnO nanostructure for energy harvesting

CERN Document Server

Leprince-Wang, Yamin

2015-01-01

Over the past decade, ZnO as an important II-VI semiconductor has attracted much attention within the scientific community over the world owing to its numerous unique and prosperous properties. This material, considered as a "future material", especially in nanostructural format, has aroused many interesting research works due to its large range of applications in electronics, photonics, acoustics, energy and sensing. The bio-compatibility, piezoelectricity & low cost fabrication make ZnO nanostructure a very promising material for energy harvesting.

Plasma-induced formation of flower-like Ag{sub 2}O nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Zen-Hung; Ho, Chun-Hsien; Lee, Szetsen, E-mail: slee@cycu.edu.tw

2015-09-15

Graphical abstract: Flower-like Ag{sub 2}O nanostructures. - Highlights: • Flower-like Ag{sub 2}O nanostructures were synthesized from Ag colloids using plasma. • XPS was used to monitor plasma treatment effect on Ag colloids. • SERS of methyl orange was used to monitor the plasma oxidation–reduction processes. • Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was performed using Ag{sub 2}O. • Ag{sub 2}O is a more efficient visible light photocatalyst than Ag colloids. - Abstract: Plasma treatment effect on Ag colloids was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) techniques. XPS showed that O{sub 2} plasma was critical in removing organic residues in Ag colloids synthesized using citric acid as a reducing agent. With O{sub 2} plasma treatment, Ag colloids were also oxidized to form flower-like Ag{sub 2}O nanostructures. The formation mechanism is proposed. The SERS spectral intensity of methyl orange (MO) adsorbed on Ag surface became deteriorated with O{sub 2} plasma treatment. Followed by H{sub 2} plasma treatment, the SERS intensity of MO on Ag regained, which indicated that Ag{sub 2}O has been reduced to Ag. Nonetheless, the reduction by H{sub 2} plasma could not bring Ag back to the original as-synthesized nanoparticle morphology. The flower-like nanostructure morphology still remained. The photocatalytic degradation reactions of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solutions were carried out using Ag colloids and Ag{sub 2}O nanostructures. The results show that Ag{sub 2}O is more efficient than Ag colloids and many other metal oxides for the photocatalytic degradation of MB in solution when utilizing visible light.

Laser ablation of a silicon target in chloroform: formation of multilayer graphite nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Abderrafi, Kamal; García-Calzada, Raúl; Sanchez-Royo, Juan F.; Chirvony, Vladimir S.; Agouram, Saïd; Abargues, Rafael; Ibáñez, Rafael; Martínez-Pastor, Juan P.

2013-04-01

With the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy methods of analysis we show that the laser ablation of a Si target in chloroform (CHCl3) by nanosecond UV pulses (40 ns, 355 nm) results in the formation of about 50-80 nm core-shell nanoparticles with a polycrystalline core composed of small (5-10 nm) Si and SiC mono-crystallites, the core being coated by several layers of carbon with the structure of graphite (the shell). In addition, free carbon multilayer nanostructures (carbon nano-onions) are also found in the suspension. On the basis of a comparison with similar laser ablation experiments implemented in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), where only bare (uncoated) Si nanoparticles are produced, we suggest that a chemical (solvent decomposition giving rise to highly reactive CH-containing radicals) rather than a physical (solvent atomization followed by carbon nanostructure formation) mechanism is responsible for the formation of graphitic shells. The silicon carbonization process found for the case of laser ablation in chloroform may be promising for silicon surface protection and functionalization.

Influence of DC arc current on the formation of cobalt-based nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Orpe, P. B.; Balasubramanian, C.; Mukherjee, S.

2017-08-01

The synthesis of cobalt-based magnetic nanostructures using DC arc discharge technique with varying arc current is reported here. The structural, morphological, compositional and magnetic properties of these nanostructures were studied as a function of applied arc current. Various techniques like X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, EDAX and vibrating sample magnetometry were used to carry out this study and the results are reported here. The results clearly indicate that for a given oxygen partial pressure, an arc current of 100 A favours the formation of unreacted cobalt atomic species. Also change in arc current leads to variation in phase, diversity in morphology etc. Other property changes such as thermal changes, mechanical changes etc. are not addressed here. The magnetic characterization further indicates that the anisotropy in shape plays a crucial role in deciding the magnetic properties of the nanostructured materials. We have quantified an interesting result in our experiment, that is, for a given partial pressure, 100 A arc current results in unique variation in structural and magnetic properties as compared to other arc currents.

Mechanism of nanostructure formation in ball-milled Cu and Cu–3wt%Zn studied by X-ray diffraction line profile analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khoshkhoo, M. Samadi; Scudino, S.; Bednarcik, J.; Kauffmann, A.; Bahmanpour, H.; Freudenberger, J.; Scattergood, R.; Zehetbauer, M.J.; Koch, C.C.; Eckert, J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Nanostructured powders of Cu and Cu–3wt%Zn were produced using ball milling. • During cryomilling, nanostructure was formed by structural decomposition. • Dynamic recrystallization happened in room–temperature milling of Cu–3wt%Zn. • Structural decomposition took place during room–temperature milling of Cu. -- Abstract: The mechanism of nanostructure formation during cryogenic and room-temperature milling of Cu and Cu–3wt%Zn was investigated using X-ray diffraction line profile analysis. For that, the whole powder pattern modeling approach (WPPM) was used to analyze the evolution of microstructural features including coherently scattering domain size, dislocation density, and density of planar faults. It was found that for all sets of experiments, structural decomposition is the dominant mechanism of nanostructure formation during cryomilling. During subsequent RT-milling, grain refinement still occurs by structural decomposition for pure copper. On the other hand, discontinuous dynamic recrystallization is responsible for nanostructure formation during RT-milling of Cu–3wt%Zn. This is attributed to lower stacking-fault energy of Cu–3wt%Zn compared to pure copper. Finally, room temperature milling reveals the occurrence of a detwinning phenomenon

Quantitative characterization of the influence of the nanoscale morphology of nanostructured surfaces on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajay Vikram Singh

Full Text Available Bacterial infection of implants and prosthetic devices is one of the most common causes of implant failure. The nanostructured surface of biocompatible materials strongly influences the adhesion and proliferation of mammalian cells on solid substrates. The observation of this phenomenon has led to an increased effort to develop new strategies to prevent bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, primarily through nanoengineering the topology of the materials used in implantable devices. While several studies have demonstrated the influence of nanoscale surface morphology on prokaryotic cell attachment, none have provided a quantitative understanding of this phenomenon. Using supersonic cluster beam deposition, we produced nanostructured titania thin films with controlled and reproducible nanoscale morphology respectively. We characterized the surface morphology; composition and wettability by means of atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. We studied how protein adsorption is influenced by the physico-chemical surface parameters. Lastly, we characterized Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus adhesion on nanostructured titania surfaces. Our results show that the increase in surface pore aspect ratio and volume, related to the increase of surface roughness, improves protein adsorption, which in turn downplays bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. As roughness increases up to about 20 nm, bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation are enhanced; the further increase of roughness causes a significant decrease of bacterial adhesion and inhibits biofilm formation. We interpret the observed trend in bacterial adhesion as the combined effect of passivation and flattening effects induced by morphology-dependent protein adsorption. Our findings demonstrate that bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on nanostructured titanium oxide surfaces are significantly influenced by nanoscale morphological

Role of nanostructured gold surfaces on monocyte activation and Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svensson S

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Sara Svensson,1,2 Magnus Forsberg,1,2 Mats Hulander,1,2 Forugh Vazirisani,1,2 Anders Palmquist,1,2 Jukka Lausmaa,2,3 Peter Thomsen,1,2 Margarita Trobos1,21Department of Biomaterials, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; 2BIOMATCELL VINN Excellence Center of Biomaterials and Cell Therapy, Gothenburg, Sweden; 3SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Borås, SwedenAbstract: The role of material surface properties in the direct interaction with bacteria and the indirect route via host defense cells is not fully understood. Recently, it was suggested that nanostructured implant surfaces possess antimicrobial properties. In the current study, the adhesion and biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis and human monocyte adhesion and activation were studied separately and in coculture in different in vitro models using smooth gold and well-defined nanostructured gold surfaces. Two polystyrene surfaces were used as controls in the monocyte experiments. Fluorescent viability staining demonstrated a reduction in the viability of S. epidermidis close to the nanostructured gold surface, whereas the smooth gold correlated with more live biofilm. The results were supported by scanning electron microscopy observations, showing higher biofilm tower formations and more mature biofilms on smooth gold compared with nanostructured gold. Unstimulated monocytes on the different substrates demonstrated low activation, reduced gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and low cytokine secretion. In contrast, stimulation with opsonized zymosan or opsonized live S. epidermidis for 1 hour significantly increased the production of reactive oxygen species, the gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, interleukin-1β (IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10, as well as the secretion of TNF-α, demonstrating the ability of the cells to elicit a response and actively phagocytose prey. In addition, cells cultured on the smooth

Optical chirality in AgCl-Ag thin films through formation of laser-induced planar crossed-chain nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Nahal, Arashmid; Kashani, Somayeh

2017-09-01

Irradiation of AgCl-Ag thin films by a linearly polarized He-Ne laser beam results in the formation of self-organized periodic nanostructures. As a result of secondary irradiation of the initially exposed sample by the same linearly polarized He-Ne laser beam, but with different orientations of polarization, a complex crossed-chain nanostructure forms. We found that such a complex nanostructure has noticeable chirality and increased optical anisotropy, resulting in optical activity of the sample. Double exposure produces two gratings, crossing each other with angle α, which leads to the formation of crossed building blocks with chiroptical effects. It is established that the amount and the sign of the angle between the two laser-induced gratings (±α) determine the amount and the direction of rotation of the linearly polarized probe beam, respectively. We have also observed an induced anisotropy-dependent ellipticity for the probe light, which is passed through the sample. It is shown that the amount of ellipticity depends on the angle α.

Deuterium-induced nanostructure formation on tungsten exposed to high-flux plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, H.Y., E-mail: donaxu@163.com [Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, Mianyang, Sichuan 621907 (China); De Temmerman, G. [FOM Institute DIFFER, Dutch Institute For Fundamental Energy Research, Ass. EURATOM-FOM, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, Postbus 1207, 3430BE Nieuwegein (Netherlands); ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon CS 90046-13067, St Paul Lez Durance Cedex (France); Luo, G.-N. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Jia, Y.Z.; Yuan, Y.; Fu, B.Q.; Godfrey, A. [Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Liu, W., E-mail: liuw@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2015-08-15

Surface topography of polycrystalline tungsten (W) have been examined after exposure to a low-energy (38 eV/D), high-flux (∼1.1–1.5 × 10{sup 24} m{sup −2} s{sup −1}) deuterium plasma in the Pilot-PSI linear plasma device. The methods used were scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), positron annihilation Doppler broadening (PADB) and grazing incident X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD). After exposure to high flux D plasma, blisters and nanostructures are formed on the W surface. Generation of defects was evidenced by PADB, while high stress and mixture of phases were detected in depth of 50 nm by GI-XRD. TEM observation revealed fluctuations and disordered microstructure on the outmost surface layer. Based on these results, surface reconstruction is considered as a possible mechanism for the formation of defects and nanostructures.

Silver nanostructures with well-controlled shapes: synthesis, characterization and growth mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kan Caixia; Zhu Jiejun; Zhu Xiaoguang

2008-01-01

This paper describes a poly(vinylpyrollidone)-directed polyol synthesis method for the fabrication of silver (Ag) nanostructures with well-controlled shapes (such as nanorods and nanocubes) by adjusting the synthesizing parameters. The structure characterizations suggest that the Ag nanorods grow from the five-fold twinned decahedral crystal nuclei. The nature of the {1 1 1} planes of Ag crystal and the highly selective poly(vinylpyrollidone) adsorption on the {100} planes of Ag crystal nuclei are favourable for the formation of Ag nanorods and Ag nanowires. The single crystalline Ag nanocubes obtained at optimum conditions are perfect in shape and are enclosed by the {1 0 0} facets. The optical properties of the Ag nanostructures show an attractive plasma resonance, displaying a considerable dependence on the shape and size. The formation of the Ag nanostructures with well-defined shapes is probably due to the fact that the nanostructures are controlled thermodynamically and kinetically. The ability to generate shape-controlled Ag nanostructures also provides an opportunity to experimentally and systematically study the relationship between their properties and geometric shapes

Silver nanostructures with well-controlled shapes: synthesis, characterization and growth mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Kan, Cai-Xia; Zhu, Jie-Jun; Zhu, Xiao-Guang

2008-08-01

This paper describes a poly(vinylpyrollidone)-directed polyol synthesis method for the fabrication of silver (Ag) nanostructures with well-controlled shapes (such as nanorods and nanocubes) by adjusting the synthesizing parameters. The structure characterizations suggest that the Ag nanorods grow from the five-fold twinned decahedral crystal nuclei. The nature of the {1 1 1} planes of Ag crystal and the highly selective poly(vinylpyrollidone) adsorption on the {100} planes of Ag crystal nuclei are favourable for the formation of Ag nanorods and Ag nanowires. The single crystalline Ag nanocubes obtained at optimum conditions are perfect in shape and are enclosed by the {1 0 0} facets. The optical properties of the Ag nanostructures show an attractive plasma resonance, displaying a considerable dependence on the shape and size. The formation of the Ag nanostructures with well-defined shapes is probably due to the fact that the nanostructures are controlled thermodynamically and kinetically. The ability to generate shape-controlled Ag nanostructures also provides an opportunity to experimentally and systematically study the relationship between their properties and geometric shapes.

Low energy helium ion irradiation induced nanostructure formation on tungsten surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Ajlony, A.; Tripathi, J.K.; Hassanein, A.

2017-01-01

We report on the low energy helium ion irradiation induced surface morphology changes on tungsten (W) surfaces under extreme conditions. Surface morphology changes on W surfaces were monitored as a function of helium ion energy (140–300 eV), fluence (2.3 × 10 24 –1.6 × 10 25 ions m −2 ), and flux (2.0 × 10 20 –5.5 × 10 20 ion m −2 s −1 ). All the experiments were performed at 900° C. Our study shows significant effect of all the three ion irradiation parameters (ion flux, fluence, and energy) on the surface morphology. However, the effect of ion flux is more pronounced. Variation of helium ion fluence allows to capture the very early stages of fuzz growth. The observed fuzz growth and morphology changes were understood in the realm of various possible phenomena. The study has relevance and important impact in the current and future nuclear fusion applications. - Highlights: •Reporting formation of W nanostructure (fuzz) due to low energy He ion beam irradiation. •Observing the very early stages for the W-Fuzz formation. •Tracking the surface morphological evolution during the He irradiation. •Discussing in depth our observation and drawing a possible scenario that explain this phenomenon. •Studying various ions irradiation parameters such as flux, fluence, and ions energy.

Formation of helium induced nanostructure 'fuzz' on various tungsten grades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldwin, M.J.; Doerner, R.P.

2010-01-01

The response of a variety of W material grades to nanostructure 'fuzz' formation is explored. W targets are exposed to He or D 2 -0.2He plasmas in PISCES-B at 900-1320 K to below sputter threshold He + ions of energy 25-60 eV for up to 2.2 x 10 4 s. SEM and XPS reveal nanoscopic reorganization of the W surface to a layer of 'fuzz' of porosity ∼90% as determined by a 'fuzz' removal/weight loss method. The variability of 'fuzz' growth is examined at 1120 K for 1 h durations: SR, SC and doped W grades - La 2 O 3 (1% wt.), Re (5% and 10% wt.), and TiC (1.5% wt.) developed 2-3 μm thick 'fuzz' layers, while a VPS grade developed a layer 4 μm thick. An RC grade revealed additional 'fuzz' at deep (>100 μm) grain boundaries. However, heat treatment up to 1900 K produced reintegration of 'fuzz' with the bulk and He release at ∼1000 K and ∼1400-1800 K due to depopulation from vacancy complexes.

Study on the effect of ambient gas on nanostructure formation on metal surfaces during femtosecond laser ablation for fabrication of low-reflective surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smausz, Tomi, E-mail: tomi@physx.u-szeged.hu [MTA-SZTE Research Group on Photoacoustic Spectroscopy, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Dóm tér 9 (Hungary); Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Dóm tér 9 (Hungary); Csizmadia, Tamás [Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Dóm tér 9 (Hungary); Attosecond Light Pulse Source, ELI-Hu Nkft, H-6720 Szeged, Dugonics ter 13 (Hungary); Tápai, Csaba; Kopniczky, Judit [Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Dóm tér 9 (Hungary); Oszkó, Albert [Department of Physical Chemistry and Material Science, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Aradi vértanuk tere 1 (Hungary); Ehrhardt, Martin; Lorenz, Pierre; Zimmer, Klaus; Prager, Andrea [Leibniz-Institut für Oberflächenmodifizierung e.V., Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Hopp, Béla [Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Dóm tér 9 (Hungary)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Metal surfaces were irradiated with femtosecond laser in different gas environments. • The reflectivity, morphology and chemical composition of the surfaces were studied. • Darkening was influenced by chemical and physical interaction of the plume and gas. • Molecular mass of the applied gas had an impact on the nanostructure formation. • For some of the used metals the oxide formation affected the reflective properties. - Abstract: Nanostructure formation on bulk metals (silver, gold, copper and titanium) by femtosecond Ti-sapphire laser irradiation (775 nm, 150 fs) is studied aiming the production of low-reflectivity surfaces and the better understanding of the development process. The experiments were performed in nitrogen, air, oxygen and helium environments at atmospheric pressure. The samples were irradiated with fluences in the 0.1–2 J/cm{sup 2} range and an average pulse number of 100 falling over a given area. The reflectivity of the treated surfaces was determined by a microspectrometer in the 450–800 nm range and their morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The gas ambience influenced the results via two effects: formation processes and the chemically-induced modifications of the nanostructures. In case of He the nanoparticle aggregates–otherwise generally present–are predominantly missing, which leads to a lower darkening efficiency. The presence of oxygen enhances the darkening effect for copper mostly at lower fluences, while causes a slow increase in reflectivity in the case of titanium (in case of pure oxygen) in the high fluence range. The surface morphology in case of nitrogen and air were quite similar probably due to their close molecular mass values.

Nanostructure formation on refractory metal surfaces irradiated by helium plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takamura, Shuichi; Kajita, Shin; Ohno, Noriyasu

2013-01-01

Helium defects on plasma-facing refractory metals like tungsten have been studied in fusion sciences from the view point of the effects on metal surface properties, concentrating on the bubble formation. However, the surface morphology over the lower surface temperature range was found recently to be changed drastically, something like cotton down or arborescence, sometimes called as “fuzz”. The formation process, although still open problem, would be discussed in terms of viscoelastic model with the effect of surface tension, taking account of its thermal properties and nano-bubbles inside the thin fibers. Some physical surface characteristics like electron emission, radiation emissivity and sputtering are quite influenced by its forest-like structure. Unipolar arcing has been newly studied by using such a surface structure which makes its initiation controllable. In the present report, other examples of nanostructure formation in a variety of particle incident conditions have been introduced as well as the possibility of its industrial applications to enhance interdisciplinary interests. (author)

Temperature dependence of underdense nanostructure formation in tungsten under helium irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valles, G.; Martin-Bragado, I.; Nordlund, K.; Lasa, A.; Björkas, C.; Safi, E.; Perlado, J.M.; Rivera, A.

2017-01-01

Recently, tungsten has been found to form a highly underdense nanostructured morphology (“W fuzz”) when bombarded by an intense flux of He ions, but only in the temperature window 900–2000 K. Using object kinetic Monte Carlo simulations (pseudo-3D simulations) parameterized from first principles, we show that this temperature dependence can be understood based on He and point defect clustering, cluster growth, and detrapping reactions. At low temperatures (<900 K), fuzz does not grow because almost all He is trapped in very small He-vacancy clusters. At high temperatures (>2300 K), all He is detrapped from clusters, preventing the formation of the large clusters that lead to fuzz growth in the intermediate temperature range. - Highlights: •OKMC simulation of temperature window for fuzz formation. •Stable He-V clusters prevent fuzz formation at low temperatures. •Dissociation of He-V clusters prevent fuzz formation at high temperatures. •Fuzz formation rate increases with increasing temperature. •An incubation fluence observed in the simulations, similar to experimental observations.

Temperature dependence of underdense nanostructure formation in tungsten under helium irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valles, G., E-mail: gonzalovallesalberdi@hotmail.com [Instituto de Fusión Nuclear, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid (Spain); Martin-Bragado, I. [UCAM, Universidad Católica de Murcia, Campus de los Jerónimos, Guadalupe, 30107, Murcia (Spain); Nordlund, K. [Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 43, Helsinki, FI-00014 (Finland); National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, 115409, Moscow (Russian Federation); Lasa, A. [Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 43, Helsinki, FI-00014 (Finland); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831-6169 (United States); Björkas, C.; Safi, E. [Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 43, Helsinki, FI-00014 (Finland); Perlado, J.M.; Rivera, A. [Instituto de Fusión Nuclear, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid (Spain)

2017-07-15

Recently, tungsten has been found to form a highly underdense nanostructured morphology (“W fuzz”) when bombarded by an intense flux of He ions, but only in the temperature window 900–2000 K. Using object kinetic Monte Carlo simulations (pseudo-3D simulations) parameterized from first principles, we show that this temperature dependence can be understood based on He and point defect clustering, cluster growth, and detrapping reactions. At low temperatures (<900 K), fuzz does not grow because almost all He is trapped in very small He-vacancy clusters. At high temperatures (>2300 K), all He is detrapped from clusters, preventing the formation of the large clusters that lead to fuzz growth in the intermediate temperature range. - Highlights: •OKMC simulation of temperature window for fuzz formation. •Stable He-V clusters prevent fuzz formation at low temperatures. •Dissociation of He-V clusters prevent fuzz formation at high temperatures. •Fuzz formation rate increases with increasing temperature. •An incubation fluence observed in the simulations, similar to experimental observations.

Influence of the introduction and formation of artificial pinning centers on the transport properties of nanostructured Nb{sub 3}Sn superconducting wires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Da Silva, L B S; Rodrigues, C A; Bormio-Nunes, C; Oliveira, N F Jr; Rodrigues, D Jr, E-mail: lucas_sarno@ppgem.eel.usp.b, E-mail: durval@demar.eel.usp.b [Superconductivity Group, Department of Materials Engineering (DEMAR) Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL), Universidade de Sao Paulo - USP Polo Urbo-Industrial, Gleba AI-6 - PO Box 116 - Lorena, SP (Brazil)

2009-05-01

The formation of nanostructures projected to act as pinning centers is presented as a highly promising technique for the transport properties optimization of superconductors. However, due to the necessity of nanometric dimensions of these pinning centers, the heat treatment (HT) profiles must be carefully analyzed. The present work describes a methodology to optimize the HT profiles in respect to diffusion, reaction and formation of the superconducting phases. After the HT, samples were removed for micro structural characterization. Measurements of transport properties were performed to analyze the influence of the introduction of artificial pinning centers (APC) on the superconducting phase and to find the flux pinning mechanism acting in these wires. Fitting the volumetric pinning force vs. applied magnetic field (F{sub p} vs. mu{sub o}H) curves of transport properties, we could determine the type and influence of flux pinning mechanism acting in the global behavior of the samples. It was concluded that the maximum current densities were obtained when normal phases (due to the introduction of the APCs) are the most efficient pinning centers in the global behavior of the samples. The use of HT with profile 220{sup 0}C/100h+575{sup 0}C/50h+650{sup 0}C/100h was found as the best treatment for these nanostructured superconducting wires.

Observation of reduction of secondary electron emission from helium ion impact due to plasma-generated nanostructured tungsten fuzz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollmann, E M; Doerner, R P; Nishijima, D; Pigarov, A Yu

2017-01-01

Growth of nanostructured fuzz on a tungsten target in a helium plasma is found to cause a significant (∼3×) reduction in ion impact secondary electron emission in a linear plasma device. The ion impact secondary electron emission is separated from the electron impact secondary electron emission by varying the target bias voltage and fitting to expected contributions from electron impact, both thermal and non-thermal; with the non-thermal electron contribution being modeled using Monte-Carlo simulations. The observed (∼3×) reduction is similar in magnitude to the (∼2×) reduction observed in previous work for the effect of tungsten fuzz formation on secondary electron emission due to electron impact. It is hypothesized that the observed reduction results from re-absorption of secondary electrons in the tungsten fuzz. (paper)

Nanostructures from nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes, Paula M; Chen Yu; Palmer, Richard E; Nikitin, Kirill; Fitzmaurice, Donald; Preece, Jon A

2003-01-01

This paper reviews recent experimental approaches to the development of surface nanostructures from nanoparticles. The formation of nanowires by electron beam writing in films of gold nanoparticles passivated with a specially designed class of ligand molecules (dialkyl sulfides) is presented, together with illustrations of practical nanostructures. Potential applications of this methodology are discussed. Another alternative to the controlled fabrication of arrays of nanoparticles, based on nanocrystals which contain molecular recognition elements in the ligand shell, is also surveyed. These particles aggregate in the presence of specifically designed molecular dications which act as a molecular binder. Finally, recent work on the formation of nanoscale surface architectures using x-ray patterning of self-assembled monolayers is introduced. Current and potential future applications of these surface nanostructures are discussed

Silver nanostructures with well-controlled shapes: synthesis, characterization and growth mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kan Caixia [College of Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211100 (China); Zhu Jiejun [Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Zhu Xiaoguang [Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China)], E-mail: cxkan@nuaa.edu.cn

2008-08-07

This paper describes a poly(vinylpyrollidone)-directed polyol synthesis method for the fabrication of silver (Ag) nanostructures with well-controlled shapes (such as nanorods and nanocubes) by adjusting the synthesizing parameters. The structure characterizations suggest that the Ag nanorods grow from the five-fold twinned decahedral crystal nuclei. The nature of the {l_brace}1 1 1{r_brace} planes of Ag crystal and the highly selective poly(vinylpyrollidone) adsorption on the {l_brace}100{r_brace} planes of Ag crystal nuclei are favourable for the formation of Ag nanorods and Ag nanowires. The single crystalline Ag nanocubes obtained at optimum conditions are perfect in shape and are enclosed by the {l_brace}1 0 0{r_brace} facets. The optical properties of the Ag nanostructures show an attractive plasma resonance, displaying a considerable dependence on the shape and size. The formation of the Ag nanostructures with well-defined shapes is probably due to the fact that the nanostructures are controlled thermodynamically and kinetically. The ability to generate shape-controlled Ag nanostructures also provides an opportunity to experimentally and systematically study the relationship between their properties and geometric shapes.

Formation of various types of nanostructures on germanium surface by nanosecond laser pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Mikolutskiy, S. I.; Khasaya, R. R.; Khomich, Yu V.; Yamshchikov, V. A.

2018-03-01

The paper describes the formation of micro- and nanostructures in different parts of irradiation zone on germanium surface by multiple action of nanosecond pulses of ArF-laser. It proposes a simple method using only one laser beam without any optional devices and masks for surface treatment. Hexa- and pentagonal cells with submicron dimensions along the surface were observed in peripheral zone of irradiation spot by atomic-force microscopy. Nanostructures in the form of bulbs with rounded peaks with lateral sizes of 40-120 nm were obtained in peripheral low-intensity region of the laser spot. Considering experimental data on material processing by nanosecond laser pulses, a classification of five main types of surface reliefs formed by nanosecond laser pulses with energy density near or slightly above ablation threshold was proposed.

Low energy helium ion irradiation induced nanostructure formation on tungsten surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Ajlony, A., E-mail: montaserajlony@yahoo.com; Tripathi, J.K.; Hassanein, A.

2017-05-15

We report on the low energy helium ion irradiation induced surface morphology changes on tungsten (W) surfaces under extreme conditions. Surface morphology changes on W surfaces were monitored as a function of helium ion energy (140–300 eV), fluence (2.3 × 10{sup 24}–1.6 × 10{sup 25} ions m{sup −2}), and flux (2.0 × 10{sup 20}–5.5 × 10{sup 20} ion m{sup −2} s{sup −1}). All the experiments were performed at 900° C. Our study shows significant effect of all the three ion irradiation parameters (ion flux, fluence, and energy) on the surface morphology. However, the effect of ion flux is more pronounced. Variation of helium ion fluence allows to capture the very early stages of fuzz growth. The observed fuzz growth and morphology changes were understood in the realm of various possible phenomena. The study has relevance and important impact in the current and future nuclear fusion applications. - Highlights: •Reporting formation of W nanostructure (fuzz) due to low energy He ion beam irradiation. •Observing the very early stages for the W-Fuzz formation. •Tracking the surface morphological evolution during the He irradiation. •Discussing in depth our observation and drawing a possible scenario that explain this phenomenon. •Studying various ions irradiation parameters such as flux, fluence, and ions energy.

Deepening of floating potential for tungsten target plate on the way to nanostructure formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takamura, Shuichi; Miyamoto, Takanori; Ohno, Noriyasu

2010-01-01

Deepening of floating potential has been observed on the tungsten target plate immersed in high-density helium plasma with hot electron component on the way to nanostructure formation. The physical mechanism is thought to be a reduction of secondary electron emission from such a complex nano fiber-form structure on the tungsten surface. (author)

Single ion induced surface nanostructures: a comparison between slow highly charged and swift heavy ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Aumayr, Friedrich; Facsko, Stefan; El-Said, Ayman S; Trautmann, Christina; Schleberger, Marika

2011-10-05

This topical review focuses on recent advances in the understanding of the formation of surface nanostructures, an intriguing phenomenon in ion-surface interaction due to the impact of individual ions. In many solid targets, swift heavy ions produce narrow cylindrical tracks accompanied by the formation of a surface nanostructure. More recently, a similar nanometric surface effect has been revealed for the impact of individual, very slow but highly charged ions. While swift ions transfer their large kinetic energy to the target via ionization and electronic excitation processes (electronic stopping), slow highly charged ions produce surface structures due to potential energy deposited at the top surface layers. Despite the differences in primary excitation, the similarity between the nanostructures is striking and strongly points to a common mechanism related to the energy transfer from the electronic to the lattice system of the target. A comparison of surface structures induced by swift heavy ions and slow highly charged ions provides a valuable insight to better understand the formation mechanisms. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd

Systematic Moiety Variations of Ultrashort Peptides Produce Profound Effects on Self-Assembly, Nanostructure Formation, Hydrogelation, and Phase Transition

KAUST Repository

Chan, Kiat Hwa

2017-10-04

Self-assembly of small biomolecules is a prevalent phenomenon that is increasingly being recognised to hold the key to building complex structures from simple monomeric units. Small peptides, in particular ultrashort peptides containing up to seven amino acids, for which our laboratory has found many biomedical applications, exhibit immense potential in this regard. For next-generation applications, more intricate control is required over the self-assembly processes. We seek to find out how subtle moiety variation of peptides can affect self-assembly and nanostructure formation. To this end, we have selected a library of 54 tripeptides, derived from systematic moiety variations from seven tripeptides. Our study reveals that subtle structural changes in the tripeptides can exert profound effects on self-assembly, nanostructure formation, hydrogelation, and even phase transition of peptide nanostructures. By comparing the X-ray crystal structures of two tripeptides, acetylated leucine-leucine-glutamic acid (Ac-LLE) and acetylated tyrosine-leucine-aspartic acid (Ac-YLD), we obtained valuable insights into the structural factors that can influence the formation of supramolecular peptide structures. We believe that our results have major implications on the understanding of the factors that affect peptide self-assembly. In addition, our findings can potentially assist current computational efforts to predict and design self-assembling peptide systems for diverse biomedical applications.

Unexpected formation by pulsed laser deposition of nanostructured Fe/olivine thin films on MgO substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Legrand, C.; Dupont, L.; Davoisne, C.; Le Marrec, F.; Perriere, J.; Baudrin, E.

2011-01-01

Olivine-type LiFePO 4 thin films were grown on MgO (1 0 0) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The formation of an original nanostructure is evidenced by transmission electron microscopy measurements. Indeed, on focused ion beam prepared cross sections of the thin film, we observe, the amazing formation of metallic iron/olivine nanostructures. The appearance of such a structure is explained owing to a topotactic relation between the two phases as well as a strong Mg diffusion from the substrate to the film surface. Magnesium migration is thus concomitant with the creation of metallic iron domains that grow from the core of the film to the surface leading to large protuberances. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on iron extrusion from the olivine-type LiFePO 4 . -- Graphical Abstract: HRTEM image of olivine/Fe nanostructure obtained by PLD. Display Omitted Research highlights: → This manuscript describes the attempt to prepare textured LiFePO 4 by PLD. This is presently a challenge to better understand the physical properties of the material, used as cathode in lithium ion batteries. → We describe for the first time the iron extrusion from this material. Indeed, there were recent reports on the possible non-stoichiometry, i.e. lithium or oxygen. However, on the iron side, only some defect were observed for hydrothermally prepared material but the extrusion is new in this paper. → We prepared interesting nanostructures which could be used for different fundamental studies: electric and magnetic measurements.

Shape of Field-Induced Nanostructures Formed by STM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subhashis Gangopadhyay

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Creation of controlled and reproducible nanostructures on material surfaces using scanning tunneling microscope is a novel technique, which can be used for a variety of applications. We have examined the shape of the nanostructures so formed on the gold film using tungsten tip and examined the formation parameters, which govern their shape and size. During our investigations it is found that the reproducibility of mound formation can reach up to 90% under optimum operating conditions, whereas the pit formation can be made with almost 100% reproducibility. Formation mechanism of such nanostructures is also discussed.

Increase in the energy absorption of pulsed plasma by the formation of tungsten nanostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, D.; Ohno, N.; Domon, F.; Kajita, S.; Kikuchi, Y.; Sakuma, I.

2017-06-01

The synergistic effects of steady-state and pulsed plasma irradiation to material have been investigated in the device NAGDIS-PG (NAGoya DIvertor Simulator with Plasma Gun). The duration of the pulsed plasma was ~0.25 ms. To investigate the pulsed plasma heat load on the materials, we developed a temperature measurement system using radiation from the sample in a high time resolution. The heat deposited in response to the transient plasma on a tungsten surface was revealed by using this system. When the nanostructures were formed by helium plasma irradiation, the temperature increase on the bulk sample was enhanced. The result suggested that the amount of absorbed energy on the surface was increased by the formation of nanostructures. The possible mechanisms causing the phenomena are discussed with the calculation of a sample temperature in response to the transient heat load.

Computer Code for Nanostructure Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Filikhin, Igor; Vlahovic, Branislav

2009-01-01

Due to their small size, nanostructures can have stress and thermal gradients that are larger than any macroscopic analogue. These gradients can lead to specific regions that are susceptible to failure via processes such as plastic deformation by dislocation emission, chemical debonding, and interfacial alloying. A program has been developed that rigorously simulates and predicts optoelectronic properties of nanostructures of virtually any geometrical complexity and material composition. It can be used in simulations of energy level structure, wave functions, density of states of spatially configured phonon-coupled electrons, excitons in quantum dots, quantum rings, quantum ring complexes, and more. The code can be used to calculate stress distributions and thermal transport properties for a variety of nanostructures and interfaces, transport and scattering at nanoscale interfaces and surfaces under various stress states, and alloy compositional gradients. The code allows users to perform modeling of charge transport processes through quantum-dot (QD) arrays as functions of inter-dot distance, array order versus disorder, QD orientation, shape, size, and chemical composition for applications in photovoltaics and physical properties of QD-based biochemical sensors. The code can be used to study the hot exciton formation/relation dynamics in arrays of QDs of different shapes and sizes at different temperatures. It also can be used to understand the relation among the deposition parameters and inherent stresses, strain deformation, heat flow, and failure of nanostructures.

Photosynthetic solar cell using nanostructured proton exchange membrane for microbial biofilm prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Dong Hyun; Oh, Hwa Jin; Bai, Seoung Jae; Song, Young Seok

2014-06-24

Unwanted biofilm formation has a detrimental effect on bioelectrical energy harvesting in microbial cells. This issue still needs to be solved for higher power and longer durability and could be resolved with the help of nanoengineering in designing and manufacturing. Here, we demonstrate a photosynthetic solar cell (PSC) that contains a nanostructure to prevent the formation of biofilm by micro-organisms. Nanostructures were fabricated using nanoimprint lithography, where a film heater array system was introduced to precisely control the local wall temperature. To understand the heat and mass transfer phenomena behind the manufacturing and energy harvesting processes of PSC, we carried out a numerical simulation and experimental measurements. It revealed that the nanostructures developed on the proton exchange membrane enable PSC to produce enhanced output power due to the retarded microbial attachment on the Nafion membrane. We anticipate that this strategy can provide a pathway where PSC can ensure more renewable, sustainable, and efficient energy harvesting performance.

Nanostructures via DNA scaffold metallization

OpenAIRE

Ning, C.; Zinchenko, A.; Baigl, D.; Pyshkina, O.; Sergeyev, V.; Endo, Kazunaka; Yoshikawa, K.

2005-01-01

The critical role of polymers in process of noble metals nanostructures formation is well known, however, the use of DNA chain template in this process is yet largely unknown. In this study we demonstrate different ways of silver deposition on DNA template and report the influence of silver nanostructures formation on DNA conformational state. Metallization of DNA chain proceeds by two different scenarios depending on DNA conformation. If DNA chain is unfolded (elongated) chain, silver reduct...

Thermal failure of nanostructured thermal barrier coatings with cold sprayed nanostructured NiCrAlY bond coat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Q.; Li, Y.; Zhang, S.L.; Wang, X.R.; Yang, G.J.; Li, C.X.; Li, C.J. [Xi' an Jiaotong Univ., Xi' an (China)

2008-07-01

Nanostructured YSZ is expected to exhibit a high strain tolerability due to its low Young's modulus and consequently high durability. In this study, a porous YSZ as the thermal barrier coating was deposited by plasma spraying using an agglomerated nanostructured YSZ powder on a Ni-based superalloy Inconel 738 substrate with a cold-sprayed nanostructured NiCrAlY as the bond coat. The heat treatment in Ar atmosphere was applied to the cold-sprayed bond coat before deposition of YSZ. The isothermal oxidation and thermal cycling tests were applied to examine failure modes of plasma-sprayed nanostructured YSZ. The results showed that YSZ coating was deposited by partially melted YSZ particles. The nonmelted fraction of spray particles retains the porous nanostructure of the starting powder into the deposit. YSZ coating exhibits a bimodal microstructure consisting of nanosized particles retained from the powder and micro-columnar grains formed through the solidification of the melted fraction in spray particles. The oxidation of the bond coat occurs during the heat treatment in Ar atmosphere. The uniform oxide at the interface between the bond coat and YSZ can be formed during isothermal test. The cracks were observed at the interface between TGO/BC or TGO/YSZ after thermal cyclic test. However, the failure of TBCs mainly occurred through spalling of YSZ within YSZ coating. The failure characteristics of plasma-sprayed nanostructured YSZ are discussed based on the coating microstructure and formation of TGO on the bond coat surface. (orig.)

Electrochemical formation of InP porous nanostructures and its application to amperometric chemical sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Taketomo; Mizohata, Akinori; Fujino, Toshiyuki; Hashizume, Tamotsu

2008-01-01

In this paper, we report the electrochemical formation of the InP porous nanostructures and their feasibility for the application to the amperometric chemical sensors. Our two step electrochemical process consists of the pore formation on a (001) n-type InP substrate and the subsequent etching of pore walls caused by changing the polarity of the InP electrode in a HCl-based electrolyte. By applying the anodic bias to the InP electrode, the high-density array of uniform nanopores was formed on the surface. Next, the cathodic bias was applied to the porous sample to reduce the wall thickness by cathodic decomposition of InP, where the thickness of InP nanowall decreased uniformly along the entire depth of the porous layer. From the amperometric measurements of the porous electrode, it was found that the electrocatalytic activity was much higher than that of the planar electrode. Furthermore, the current sensitivity for the H 2 O 2 detection was much enhanced after the cathodic decomposition process. The InP porous nanostructure formed by the present process is one of the promising structures for the application to the semiconductor-based bio/chemical sensors. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Silk fibroin nanostructured materials for biomedical applications

Science.gov (United States)

Mitropoulos, Alexander N.

Nanostructured biopolymers have proven to be promising to develop novel biomedical applications where forming structures at the nanoscale normally occurs by self-assembly. However, synthesizing these structures can also occur by inducing materials to transition into other forms by adding chemical cross-linkers, changing pH, or changing ionic composition. Understanding the generation of nanostructures in fluid environments, such as liquid organic solvents or supercritical fluids, has not been thoroughly examined, particularly those that are based on protein-based block-copolymers. Here, we examine the transformation of reconstituted silk fibroin, which has emerged as a promising biopolymer due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and ease of functionalization, into submicron spheres and gel networks which offer applications in tissue engineering and advanced sensors. Two types of gel networks, hydrogels and aerogels, have small pores and large surface areas that are defined by their structure. We design and analyze silk nanoparticle formation using a microfluidic device while offering an application for drug delivery. Additionally, we provide a model and characterize hydrogel formation from micelles to nanoparticles, while investigating cellular response to the hydrogel in an in vitro cell culture model. Lastly, we provide a second model of nanofiber formation during near-critical and supercritical drying and characterize the silk fibroin properties at different drying pressures which, when acting as a stabilizing matrix, shows to improve the activity of entrapped enzymes dried at different pressures. This work has created new nanostructured silk fibroin forms to benefit biomedical applications that could be applied to other fibrous proteins.

Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of flower-like ZnO nanostructures prepared by a facile wet chemical method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sini Kuriakose

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Flower-like ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by a facile wet chemical method. Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of these nanostructures have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, photoluminescence (PL and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. SEM and TEM studies revealed flower-like structures consisting of nanosheets, formed due to oriented attachment of ZnO nanoparticles. Flower-like ZnO structures showed enhanced photocatalytic activity towards sun-light driven photodegradation of methylene blue dye (MB as compared to ZnO nanoparticles. XRD, UV–vis absorption, PL, FTIR and TEM studies revealed the formation of Zn(OH2 surface layer on ZnO nanostructures upon ageing. We demonstrate that the formation of a passivating Zn(OH2 surface layer on the ZnO nanostructures upon ageing deteriorates their efficiency to photocatalytically degrade of MB.

Ionic Liquids As Self-Assembly Guide for the Formation of Nanostructured Block Copolymer Membranes

KAUST Repository

Madhavan, Poornima

2015-04-30

Nanostructured block copolymer membranes were manufactured by water induced phase inversion, using ionic liquids (ILs) as cosolvents. The effect of ionic liquids on the morphology was investigated, by using polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-PV4P) diblock as membrane copolymer matrix and imidazolium and pyridinium based ILs. The effect of IL concentration and chemical composition was evident with particular interaction with P4VP blocks. The order of block copolymer/ILs solutions previous to the membrane casting was confirmed by cryo scanning electron microscopy and the morphologies of the manufactured nanostructured membranes were characterized by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Non-protic ionic liquids facilitate the formation of hexagonal nanoporous block copolymer structure, while protic ILs led to a lamella-structured membrane. The rheology of the IL/block copolymer solutions was investigated, evaluating the storage and loss moduli. Most membranes prepared with ionic liquid had higher water flux than pure block copolymer membranes without additives.

A novel technique for synthesizing dense alumina nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pancholi, A [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (United States); Stoleru, V G [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (United States); Kell, C D [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (United States)

2007-05-30

The formation of highly ordered nanoporous alumina membranes by anodizing high-purity aluminium under optimum conditions (i.e., anodization time, electrolyte temperature, and cell voltage) in various electrolyte solutions is a well established process. In this paper we report on the formation of a wide range of alumina nanostructures, including nanotubes/nanochannels, nanoplates, and nanofibres, by using a technique that involves anodization and etching processing steps similar to the ones that yield nanopores, under slightly modified experimental conditions. The effects of the anodization voltage, time, and temperature, as well as the effects of the etching time, on the formation and the properties of the alumina nanostructures are analysed. We propose a simple analytical model to describe the formation of different types of alumina nanostructures, as a result of irreversible breakage of the pore walls for long etching times. The geometry of the nanostructures and their dimensions, ranging between 10 and 100 nm, were found to be dependent on the pore dimensions and on the location of the cleavage/breakage of the pore walls.

Synthesis and shape control of copper tin sulphide nanocrystals and formation of gold-copper tin sulphide hybrid nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruszynska, Marta; Parisi, Juergen; Kolny-Olesiak, Joanna

2014-01-01

Hexagonal prismatic Cu 3 SnS 4 nanoparticles and nanorods were synthesized by a hot-injection procedure. Changing the reaction conditions leads to the formation of different shapes. When oleylamine is used as a solvent, hexagonal prismatic particles are obtained, while a reaction in octadecene results in the formation of nanorods. The growth process of copper tin sulphide starts with the formation of djurleite copper sulphide seeds. Their reaction with Sn 4+ ions leads to the formation of Cu 3 SnS 4 . These Cu 3 SnS 4 nanocrystals form Au-Cu 3 SnS 4 hybrid nanostructures by reaction with gold seeds.

Lifetime of Nano-Structured Black Silicon for Photovoltaic Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Plakhotnyuk, Maksym; Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt; Schmidt, Michael Stenbæk

2016-01-01

In this work, we present recent results of lifetime optimization for nano-structured black silicon and its photovoltaic applications. Black silicon nano-structures provide significant reduction of silicon surface reflection due to highly corrugated nanostructures with excellent light trapping pro......, respectively. This is promising for use of black silicon RIE nano-structuring in a solar cell process flow......In this work, we present recent results of lifetime optimization for nano-structured black silicon and its photovoltaic applications. Black silicon nano-structures provide significant reduction of silicon surface reflection due to highly corrugated nanostructures with excellent light trapping...

Nanostructure formation during relatively high temperature growth of Mn-doped GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Del Río-De Santiago, A.; Méndez-García, V.H. [CIACyT-UASLP, Sierra Leona Av. # 550, Lomas 2a Secc, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P. 78210, México (Mexico); Martínez-Velis, I.; Casallas-Moreno, Y.L. [Physics Department, CINVESTAV-IPN, Apdo. Postal 14470 D. F. México, México (Mexico); López-Luna, E. [CIACyT-UASLP, Sierra Leona Av. # 550, Lomas 2a Secc, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P. 78210, México (Mexico); Yu Gorbatchev, A. [IICO-UASLP, Av. Karakorum 1470, Lomas 4a. Sección, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P. 78210, México (Mexico); López-López, M. [Physics Department, CINVESTAV-IPN, Apdo. Postal 14470 D. F. México, México (Mexico); Cruz-Hernández, E., E-mail: esteban.cruz@uaslp.mx [CIACyT-UASLP, Sierra Leona Av. # 550, Lomas 2a Secc, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P. 78210, México (Mexico)

2015-04-01

Highlights: • The formation of different kind of nanostructures in GaMnAs layers depending on Mn concentration at relative HT-MBE is reported. In this Mn% range, it is found the formation of nanogrooves, nanoleaves, and nanowires. • It is shown the progressive photoluminescence transitions from purely GaAsMn zinc blende (for Mn% = 0.01) to a mixture of zinc blende and wurtzite GaAsMn (for Mn% = 0.2). • A critical thickness for the Mn catalyst effect was determined by RHEED. - Abstract: In the present work, we report on molecular beam epitaxy growth of Mn-doped GaAs films at the relatively high temperature (HT) of 530 °C. We found that by increasing the Mn atomic percent, Mn%, from 0.01 to 0.2, the surface morphology of the samples is strongly influenced and changes from planar to corrugated for Mn% values from 0.01 to 0.05, corresponding to nanostructures on the surface with dimensions of 200–300 nm and with the shape of leave, to nanowire-like structures for Mn% values above 0.05. From reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns, we observed the growth mode transition from two- to three-dimensional occurring at a Mn% exceeding 0.05. The optical and electrical properties were obtained from photoluminescence (PL) and Hall effect measurements, respectively. For the higher Mn concentration, besides the Mn related transitions at approximately 1.41 eV, PL spectra sharp peaks are present between 1.43 and 1.49 eV, which we related to the coexistence of zinc blende and wurtzite phases in the nanowire-like structures of this sample. At Mn% of 0.04, an increase of the carrier mobility up to a value of 1.1 × 10{sup 3} cm{sup 2}/Vs at 77 K was found, then decreases as Mn% is further increased due to the strengthening of the ionized impurity scattering.

Growth, structure and magnetic properties of FePt nanostructures on NaCl(001) and MgO(001)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liscio, F; Maret, M; Doisneau-Cottignies, B; Makarov, D; Albrecht, M; Roussel, H

2010-01-01

A comparison of the structural and magnetic properties of FePt nanostructures grown at different temperatures on NaCl(001) and MgO(001) substrates is presented. A strong influence of the deposition temperature on the epitaxial growth as well as on the size distribution of FePt nanostructures grown on NaCl substrates is observed. In spite of a large lattice mismatch between FePt and NaCl, a 'cube-over-cube' growth of nanostructures with a narrow size distribution was achieved at 520 K. Moreover, the growth of FePt nanostructures on NaCl(001) is not preceded by the formation of a wetting layer as observed on MgO(001). The higher degree of L1 0 chemical ordering in FePt nanostructures grown on MgO(001) accompanied by the absence of L1 0 variants with an in-plane tetragonal c-axis indicates that the tensile epitaxial stress induced by the MgO substrate is a key factor in the formation of the L1 0 phase with an out-of-plane c-axis. Superparamagnetic behavior is revealed for the FePt nanostructures grown on NaCl(001) due to their small size and relatively poor chemical order.

Strain-Mediated Interfacial Dynamics during Au–PbS Core–Shell Nanostructure Formation

KAUST Repository

Niu, Kai-Yang; Liu, Miao; Persson, Kristin A.; Han, Yu; Zheng, Haimei

2016-01-01

An understanding of the hierarchical nanostructure formation is of significant importance for the design of advanced functional materials. Here, we report the in situ study of lead sulfide (PbS) growth on gold (Au) nanorod seeds using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM). By tracking the formation dynamics of Au-PbS core-shell nanoparticles, we found the preferential heterogeneous nucleation of PbS on the ends of a Au nanorod prior to the development of a complete PdS shell. During PbS shell growth, drastic sulfidation of Au nanorod was observed, leading to large volume shrinkage (up to 50%) of the initial Au nanorod seed. We also captured intriguing wavy interfacial behavior, which can be explained by our DFT calculation results that the local strain gradient at the core-shell interface facilitates the mass transport and mediates reversible phase transitions of Au ↔ Au2S during the PbS shell growth. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Strain-Mediated Interfacial Dynamics during Au–PbS Core–Shell Nanostructure Formation

KAUST Repository

Niu, Kai-Yang

2016-05-23

An understanding of the hierarchical nanostructure formation is of significant importance for the design of advanced functional materials. Here, we report the in situ study of lead sulfide (PbS) growth on gold (Au) nanorod seeds using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM). By tracking the formation dynamics of Au-PbS core-shell nanoparticles, we found the preferential heterogeneous nucleation of PbS on the ends of a Au nanorod prior to the development of a complete PdS shell. During PbS shell growth, drastic sulfidation of Au nanorod was observed, leading to large volume shrinkage (up to 50%) of the initial Au nanorod seed. We also captured intriguing wavy interfacial behavior, which can be explained by our DFT calculation results that the local strain gradient at the core-shell interface facilitates the mass transport and mediates reversible phase transitions of Au ↔ Au2S during the PbS shell growth. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Formation of surface nano-structures by plasma expansion induced by highly charged ions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moslem, W. M. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said (Egypt); Centre for Theoretical Physics, The British University in Egypt (BUE), El-Shorouk City, Cairo (Egypt) and International Centre for Advanced Studies in Physical Sciences, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Ruhr University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum (Germany); El-Said, A. S. [Physics Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Nuclear and Radiation Physics Laboratory, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, 35516 Mansoura (Egypt) and Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Bautzner Landstr. 128, 01328 Dresden (Germany)

2012-12-15

Slow highly charged ions (HCIs) create surface nano-structures (nano-hillocks) on the quartz surface. The formation of hillocks was only possible by surpassing a potential energy threshold. By using the plasma expansion approach with suitable hydrodynamic equations, the creation mechanism of the nano-hillocks induced by HCIs is explained. Numerical analysis reveal that within the nanoscale created plasma region, the increase of the temperature causes an increase of the self-similar solution validity domain, and consequently the surface nano-hillocks become taller. Furthermore, the presence of the negative (positive) nano-dust particles would lead to increase (decrease) the nano-hillocks height.

CuO urchin-nanostructures synthesized from a domestic hydrothermal microwave method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keyson, D.; Volanti, D.P.; Cavalcante, L.S.; Simoes, A.Z.; Varela, J.A.; Longo, E.

2008-01-01

This letter reports the synthesis of CuO urchin-nanostructures by a simple and novel hydrothermal microwave method. The formation and growth of urchin-nanostructures is mainly affected by the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The hierarchical malachite particles are uniform spheres with a diameter of 0.7-1.9 μm. CuO urchin-nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and nitrogen adsorption (BET). The specific surface area of the CuO nanostructured microspheres was about 170.5 m 2 /g. A possible mechanism for the formation of such CuO urchin-nanostructures is proposed

Utilizing Neon Ion Microscope for GaSb nanopatterning studies: Nanostructure formation and comparison with low energy nanopatterning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Atwani, Osman; Huynh, Chuong; Norris, Scott

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Carl Zeiss-neon ion microscope was used to irradiated GaSb surfaces with 5 keV neon. • In-situ imaging using helium beam and ex-situ imaging using an electron beam were performed. • Differences in imaging output between the helium and the electron beam were observed. • Transition occurred in the nanostructure type and formation mechanism as the energy is changed from 2 to 5 keV. • Collision cascade simulations suggested a transition toward bulk-driven mechanisms. - Abstract: Low energy irradiation of GaSb surfaces has been shown to lead to nanopillar formation. Being performed ex-situ, controlling the parameters of the ion beam for controlled nanopattern formation is challenging. While mainly utilized for imaging and cutting purposes, the development of multibeam (helium/neon) ion microscopes has opened the path towards the use of these microscopes for in-situ ion irradiation and nanopatterning studies. In this study, in-situ irradiation (neon ions)/imaging (helium ions) of GaSb surfaces is performed using Carl Zeiss-neon ion microscope at low energies (5 and 10 keV). Imaging with helium ions, nanodots were shown to form at particular fluences after which are smoothed. Ex-situ imaging with SEM showed nanopore formation of size controlled by the ion energy and fluence. Compared to lower energy ex-situ neon ion irradiation at similar fluxes, where nanopillars are formed, the results demonstrated a transition in the nanostructure type and formation mechanism as the energy is changed from 2 to 5 keV. Simulations show an increase in the ballistic diffusion and a decrease in the strength of phase separation as a function of ion energy in agreement with the suppression of nanopillar formation at higher energies. Collision cascade simulations suggest a transition toward bulk-driven mechanisms.

Utilizing Neon Ion Microscope for GaSb nanopatterning studies: Nanostructure formation and comparison with low energy nanopatterning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Atwani, Osman, E-mail: oelatwan25@gmail.com [School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States); Huynh, Chuong [Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC, One Corporation Way, Peabody, MA 01960 (United States); Norris, Scott [Department of Mathematics, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275 (United States)

2016-05-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Carl Zeiss-neon ion microscope was used to irradiated GaSb surfaces with 5 keV neon. • In-situ imaging using helium beam and ex-situ imaging using an electron beam were performed. • Differences in imaging output between the helium and the electron beam were observed. • Transition occurred in the nanostructure type and formation mechanism as the energy is changed from 2 to 5 keV. • Collision cascade simulations suggested a transition toward bulk-driven mechanisms. - Abstract: Low energy irradiation of GaSb surfaces has been shown to lead to nanopillar formation. Being performed ex-situ, controlling the parameters of the ion beam for controlled nanopattern formation is challenging. While mainly utilized for imaging and cutting purposes, the development of multibeam (helium/neon) ion microscopes has opened the path towards the use of these microscopes for in-situ ion irradiation and nanopatterning studies. In this study, in-situ irradiation (neon ions)/imaging (helium ions) of GaSb surfaces is performed using Carl Zeiss-neon ion microscope at low energies (5 and 10 keV). Imaging with helium ions, nanodots were shown to form at particular fluences after which are smoothed. Ex-situ imaging with SEM showed nanopore formation of size controlled by the ion energy and fluence. Compared to lower energy ex-situ neon ion irradiation at similar fluxes, where nanopillars are formed, the results demonstrated a transition in the nanostructure type and formation mechanism as the energy is changed from 2 to 5 keV. Simulations show an increase in the ballistic diffusion and a decrease in the strength of phase separation as a function of ion energy in agreement with the suppression of nanopillar formation at higher energies. Collision cascade simulations suggest a transition toward bulk-driven mechanisms.

Synthesis and shape control of copper tin sulphide nanocrystals and formation of gold-copper tin sulphide hybrid nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kruszynska, Marta; Parisi, Juergen; Kolny-Olesiak, Joanna [Oldenburg Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Physics, Energy and Semiconductor Research Lab.

2014-08-15

Hexagonal prismatic Cu{sub 3}SnS{sub 4} nanoparticles and nanorods were synthesized by a hot-injection procedure. Changing the reaction conditions leads to the formation of different shapes. When oleylamine is used as a solvent, hexagonal prismatic particles are obtained, while a reaction in octadecene results in the formation of nanorods. The growth process of copper tin sulphide starts with the formation of djurleite copper sulphide seeds. Their reaction with Sn{sup 4+} ions leads to the formation of Cu{sub 3}SnS{sub 4}. These Cu{sub 3}SnS{sub 4} nanocrystals form Au-Cu{sub 3}SnS{sub 4} hybrid nanostructures by reaction with gold seeds.

Boron carbide nanostructures: A prospective material as an additive in concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Paviter; Kaur, Gurpreet; Kumar, Rohit; Kumar, Umesh; Singh, Kulwinder; Kumar, Manjeet; Bala, Rajni; Meena, Ramovatar; Kumar, Akshay

2018-05-01

In recent decades, manufacture and ingestion of concrete have increased particularly in developing countries. Due to its low cost, safety and strength, concrete have become an economical choice for protection of radiation shielding material in nuclear reactors. As boron carbide has been known as a neutron absorber material makes it a great candidate as an additive in concrete for shielding radiation. This paper presents the synthesis of boron carbide nanostructures by using ball milling method. The X-ray diffraction pattern, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope analysis confirms the formation of boron carbide nanostructures. The effect of boron carbide nanostructures on the strength of concrete samples was demonstrated. The compressive strength tests of concrete cube B4C powder additives for 0 % and 5 % of total weight of cement was compared for different curing time period such as 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The high compressive strength was observed when 5 wt % boron carbide nanostructures were used as an additive in concrete samples after 28 days curing time and showed significant improvement in strength.

Nanostructured thin film formation on femtosecond laser-textured Ti-35Nb-xZr alloy for biomedical applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Yong-Hoon [Department of Dental Materials and Research Center of Nano-Interface Activation for Biomaterials, School of Dentistry, Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Choe, Han-Cheol, E-mail: hcchoe@chosun.ac.kr [Department of Dental Materials and Research Center of Nano-Interface Activation for Biomaterials, School of Dentistry, Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Brantley, William A. [Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry and Primary Care, College of Dentistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)

2011-05-31

The aim of this study was to investigate the nanostructured thin film formation on femtosecond (FS) laser-textured Ti-35Nb-xZr alloy for biomedical applications. The initial surface roughening treatment involved irradiation with the FS laser in ambient air. After FS laser texturing, nanotubes were formed on the alloy surface using a potentiostat and a 1 M H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} solution containing 0.8 wt.% NaF with an applied cell voltage of 10 V for 2 h. The surface phenomena were investigated by FE-SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS and a cell proliferation test. It was found that nanostructured Ti-35Nb-xZr alloys after FS laser texturing had a hybrid surface topography with micro and nano scale structures, which should provide very effective osseointegration.

Nanostructured thin film formation on femtosecond laser-textured Ti-35Nb-xZr alloy for biomedical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Yong-Hoon; Choe, Han-Cheol; Brantley, William A.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the nanostructured thin film formation on femtosecond (FS) laser-textured Ti-35Nb-xZr alloy for biomedical applications. The initial surface roughening treatment involved irradiation with the FS laser in ambient air. After FS laser texturing, nanotubes were formed on the alloy surface using a potentiostat and a 1 M H 3 PO 4 solution containing 0.8 wt.% NaF with an applied cell voltage of 10 V for 2 h. The surface phenomena were investigated by FE-SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS and a cell proliferation test. It was found that nanostructured Ti-35Nb-xZr alloys after FS laser texturing had a hybrid surface topography with micro and nano scale structures, which should provide very effective osseointegration.

Nanotechnologies. Properties and applications of nanostructured materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rempel, A A

2007-01-01

The review summarises the main methods for the preparation of nanostructured metals, alloys, semiconductors and ceramics. The formation mechanisms of nanostructures based on two different principles, viz. the assembly principle (bottom-up) and the disintegration principle (top-down), are analysed. Isolated nanoparticles, nanopowders and compact nanomaterials produced by these methods possess different properties. The scope of application of various classes of nanostructured materials is considered and the topicality of the development of nanoindustry is emphasised.

The effect of composition on the formation of light-emitting Si nanostructures in SiOx layers on irradiation with swift heavy ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachurin, G. A.; Cherkova, S. G.; Marin, D. V.; Kesler, V. G.; Skuratov, V. A.; Cherkov, A. G.

2011-01-01

The SiO x layers different in composition (0 14 cm −2 to stimulate the formation of light-emitting Si nanostructures. The irradiation gives rise to a photoluminescence band with the parameters dependent on x. As the Si content is increased, the photoluminescence is first enhanced, with the peak remaining arranged near the wavelength λ ≈ 600 nm, and then the peak shifts to λ ≈ 800 nm. It is concluded that the emission sources are quantum-confined nanoprecipitates formed by disproportionation of SiO x in ion tracks due to profound ionization losses. Changes in the photoluminescence spectrum with increasing x are attributed firstly to the increase in the probability of formation of nanoprecipitates and then to the increase in their dimensions; the latter effect is accompanied with a shift of the emission band to longer wavelengths. The subsequent quenching of photoluminescence is interpreted as a result of the removal of quantum confinement in nanoprecipitates and their coagulation.

On the shear strength of tungsten nano-structures with embedded helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smirnov, R.D.; Krasheninnikov, S.I.

2013-01-01

Modification of plastic properties of tungsten nano-structures under shear stress load due to embedded helium atoms is studied using molecular dynamics modelling. The modelling demonstrates that the yield strength of tungsten nano-structures reduces significantly with increasing embedded helium concentration. At high helium concentrations (>10 at%), the yield strength decreases to values characteristic to the pressure in helium nano-bubbles, which are formed in tungsten under such conditions and thought to be responsible for the formation of nano-fuzz on tungsten surfaces irradiated with helium plasma. It is also shown that tungsten plastic flow strongly facilitates coagulation of helium clusters to larger bubbles. The temperature dependencies of the yield strength are obtained. (letter)

Modelling the formation of nanostructures on metal surface induced by femtosecond laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djouder, M.; Itina, T.E.; Deghiche, D.; Lamrous, O.

2012-01-01

We employ the particle-in-cell method to simulate the mechanisms of femtosecond (fs) laser interactions with a metallic target. The theoretical approach considers the solid as a gas of free electrons in a lattice of immobile ions and the laser fluences close to the ablation threshold. At first moments of the interaction, our simulations mapped out different nanostructures. We carefully characterized the rippling phase and found that its morphology is dependent on the distribution of the electron density and the period of the ripples depends on the laser intensity. The simulation method provides new insights into the mechanisms that are responsible for surface grating formation.

Modelling the formation of nanostructures on metal surface induced by femtosecond laser ablation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djouder, M. [Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie Quantique, Universite Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-ouzou, BP 17 RP, 15000 Tizi-Ouzou (Algeria); Itina, T.E. [Laboratoire Hubert Curien, UMR CNRS 5516/Universite Jean Monnet, 18 rue de Professeur Benoit Lauras, 42000 Saint-Etienne (France); Deghiche, D. [Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie Quantique, Universite Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-ouzou, BP 17 RP, 15000 Tizi-Ouzou (Algeria); Lamrous, O., E-mail: omarlamrous@mail.ummto.dz [Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie Quantique, Universite Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-ouzou, BP 17 RP, 15000 Tizi-Ouzou (Algeria)

2012-01-15

We employ the particle-in-cell method to simulate the mechanisms of femtosecond (fs) laser interactions with a metallic target. The theoretical approach considers the solid as a gas of free electrons in a lattice of immobile ions and the laser fluences close to the ablation threshold. At first moments of the interaction, our simulations mapped out different nanostructures. We carefully characterized the rippling phase and found that its morphology is dependent on the distribution of the electron density and the period of the ripples depends on the laser intensity. The simulation method provides new insights into the mechanisms that are responsible for surface grating formation.

Synthesis engineering of iron oxide raspberry-shaped nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, O; Pichon, B P; Ihiawakrim, D; Florea, I; Moldovan, S; Ersen, O; Begin, D; Grenèche, J-M; Lemonnier, S; Barraud, E; Begin-Colin, S

2017-01-07

Magnetic porous nanostructures consisting of oriented aggregates of iron oxide nanocrystals display very interesting properties such as a lower oxidation state of magnetite, and enhanced saturation magnetization in comparison with individual nanoparticles of similar sizes and porosity. However, the formation mechanism of these promising nanostructures is not well understood, which hampers the fine tuning of their magnetic properties, for instance by doping them with other elements. Therefore the formation mechanism of porous raspberry shaped nanostructures (RSNs) synthesized by a one-pot polyol solvothermal method has been investigated in detail from the early stages by using a wide panel of characterization techniques, and especially by performing original in situ HR-TEM studies in temperature. A time-resolved study showed the intermediate formation of an amorphous iron alkoxide phase with a plate-like lamellar structure (PLS). Then, the fine investigation of PLS transformation upon heating up to 500 °C confirmed that the synthesis of RSNs involves two iron precursors: the starting one (hydrated iron chlorides) and the in situ formed iron alkoxide precursor which decomposes with time and heating and contributes to the growth step of nanostructures. Such an understanding of the formation mechanism of RSNs is necessary to envision efficient and rational enhancement of their magnetic properties.

Controlled hydrodynamic conditions on the formation of iron oxide nanostructures synthesized by electrochemical anodization: Effect of the electrode rotation speed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucas-Granados, Bianca; Sánchez-Tovar, Rita; Fernández-Domene, Ramón M.; García-Antón, Jose

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Novel iron anodization process under controlled dynamic conditions was evaluated. • Iron oxide nanostructures composed mainly by hematite were synthesized. • Different morphologies were obtained depending on the electrode rotation speed. • A suitable photocatalyst was obtained by stirring the electrode at 1000 rpm.. - Abstract: Iron oxide nanostructures are of particular interest because they can be used as photocatalysts in water splitting due to their advantageous properties. Electrochemical anodization is one of the best techniques to synthesize nanostructures directly on the metal substrate (direct back contact). In the present study, a novel methodology consisting of the anodization of iron under hydrodynamic conditions is carried out in order to obtain mainly hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanostructures to be used as photocatalysts for photoelectrochemical water splitting applications. Different rotation speeds were studied with the aim of evaluating the obtained nanostructures and determining the most attractive operational conditions. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized by means of Raman spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, photoelectrochemical water splitting, stability against photocorrosion tests, Mott-Schottky analysis, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and band gap measurements. The results showed that the highest photocurrent densities for photoelectrochemical water splitting were achieved for the nanostructure synthesized at 1000 rpm which corresponds to a nanotubular structure reaching ∼0.130 mA cm −2 at 0.54 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). This is in agreement with the EIS measurements and Mott-Schottky analysis which showed the lowest resistances and the corresponding donor density values, respectively, for the nanostructure anodized at 1000 rpm.

Controlled hydrodynamic conditions on the formation of iron oxide nanostructures synthesized by electrochemical anodization: Effect of the electrode rotation speed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lucas-Granados, Bianca; Sánchez-Tovar, Rita; Fernández-Domene, Ramón M.; García-Antón, Jose, E-mail: jgarciaa@iqn.upv.es

2017-01-15

Highlights: • Novel iron anodization process under controlled dynamic conditions was evaluated. • Iron oxide nanostructures composed mainly by hematite were synthesized. • Different morphologies were obtained depending on the electrode rotation speed. • A suitable photocatalyst was obtained by stirring the electrode at 1000 rpm.. - Abstract: Iron oxide nanostructures are of particular interest because they can be used as photocatalysts in water splitting due to their advantageous properties. Electrochemical anodization is one of the best techniques to synthesize nanostructures directly on the metal substrate (direct back contact). In the present study, a novel methodology consisting of the anodization of iron under hydrodynamic conditions is carried out in order to obtain mainly hematite (α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) nanostructures to be used as photocatalysts for photoelectrochemical water splitting applications. Different rotation speeds were studied with the aim of evaluating the obtained nanostructures and determining the most attractive operational conditions. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized by means of Raman spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, photoelectrochemical water splitting, stability against photocorrosion tests, Mott-Schottky analysis, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and band gap measurements. The results showed that the highest photocurrent densities for photoelectrochemical water splitting were achieved for the nanostructure synthesized at 1000 rpm which corresponds to a nanotubular structure reaching ∼0.130 mA cm{sup −2} at 0.54 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). This is in agreement with the EIS measurements and Mott-Schottky analysis which showed the lowest resistances and the corresponding donor density values, respectively, for the nanostructure anodized at 1000 rpm.

Monitoring the formation of inorganic fullerene-like MoS2 nanostructures by laser ablation in liquid environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Compagnini, Giuseppe; Sinatra, Marco G.; Messina, Gabriele C.; Patanè, Giacomo; Scalese, Silvia; Puglisi, Orazio

2012-01-01

Laser ablation of solid targets in liquid media is emerging as a simple, clean and reproducible way to generate a large number of intriguing nanometric structures with peculiar properties. In this work we present some results on the formation of MoS 2 fullerene-like nanoparticles (10-15 nm diameter) obtained by the ablation of crystalline targets in water. Such a top-down approach can be considered greener than standard sulphidization reactions and represents an intriguing single step procedure. The generation of the MoS 2 nanostructures is in competition with that of oxide clusters and strongly depends on the oxidative environment created by the plasma plume. The size, shape and crystalline phase of the obtained nanoparticles are studied by microscopy while X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy is used to investigate the chemical state of produced nanostructures and to propose mechanisms for their growth.

About possible technologies of creation nanostructures blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blednova, Zh.M.; Chaevskij, M.I.; Rusinov, P.O.

2008-01-01

Possible technologies of formation nanostructures blankets are considered: a method of thermal carrying over of weights in the conditions of a high gradient of temperatures; the combined method including cathode-plasma nitriding in the conditions of low pressure and drawing of nitride of the titan in a uniform work cycle; the combined method including high-frequency ionic nitriding and drawing of carbide of chrome by pyrolysis chrome and organic of connections in plasma of the decaying category. Possibility of formation layered nanostructures layers is shown.

In Situ Monitoring of Nanostructure Formation during the Digestion of Mayonnaise

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salentinig, Stefan; Amenitsch, Heinz; Yaghmur, Anan

2017-01-01

Triglycerides in food products such as mayonnaise are a vital source of energy and essential for a complete and healthy diet. Their molecular structures consist of a glycerol backbone esterified with fatty acids on the two outer and the middle positions. During the digestion of triglycerides...... by pancreatic lipase in the small intestine, the ester bonds on the outer positions are hydrolyzed, leading to amphiphilic monoglycerides and free fatty acids as products. Depending on their chain length and degree of saturation, these products can self-assemble into a variety of structures in excess water....... In this study, we report the discovery of highly ordered nanostructures inside of the mayonnaise emulsion droplets during in vitro digestion of mayonnaise under simulated in vivo conditions using timeresolved synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering. The formation of these structures is most likely linked...

Nitrate-assisted photocatalytic efficiency of defective Eu-doped Pr(OH)3 nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Aškrabić, S; Araújo, V D; Passacantando, M; Bernardi, M I B; Tomić, N; Dojčinović, B; Manojlović, D; Čalija, B; Miletić, M; Dohčević-Mitrović, Z D

2017-12-06

Pr(OH) 3 one-dimensional nanostructures are a less studied member of lanthanide hydroxide nanostructures, which recently demonstrated an excellent adsorption capacity for organic pollutant removal from wastewater. In this study, Pr 1-x Eu x (OH) 3 (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05) defective nanostructures were synthesized by a facile and scalable microwave-assisted hydrothermal method using KOH as an alkaline metal precursor. The phase and surface composition, morphology, vibrational, electronic and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Raman, infrared (IR), photoluminescence (PL), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). It was deduced that the incorporation of Eu 3+ ions promoted the formation of oxygen vacancies in the already defective Pr(OH) 3 , subsequently changing the Pr(OH) 3 nanorod morphology. The presence of KNO 3 phase was registered in the Eu-doped samples. The oxygen-deficient Eu-doped Pr(OH) 3 nanostructures displayed an improved photocatalytic activity in the removal of reactive orange (RO16) dye under UV-vis light irradiation. An enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Eu-doped Pr(OH) 3 nanostructures was caused by the synergetic effect of oxygen vacancies and Eu 3+ (NO 3 - ) ions present on the Pr(OH) 3 surface, the charge separation efficiency and the formation of the reactive radicals. In addition, the 3% Eu-doped sample exhibited very good adsorptive properties due to different morphology and higher electrostatic attraction with the anionic dye. Pr 1-x Eu x (OH) 3 nanostructures with the possibility of tuning their adsorption/photocatalytic properties present a great potential for wastewater treatment.

Formation of superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic patterns by combination of nanostructure-imprinted perfluoropolymer and nanostructured silicon oxide for biological droplet generation

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Taizo; Shimizu, Kazunori; Kaizuma, Yoshihiro; Konishi, Satoshi

2011-03-01

In this letter, we report a technology for fabricating superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic patterns using a combination of a nanostructure-imprinted perfluoropolymer and nanostructured silicon oxide. In our previous study, we used a combination of hydrophobic and superhydrophilic materials. However, it was difficult to split low-surface-tension liquids such as biological liquids into droplets solely using hydrophobic/hydrophilic patterns. In this study, the contact angle of the hydrophobic region was enhanced from 109.3° to 155.6° by performing nanostructure imprinting on a damage-reduced perfluoropolymer. The developed superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic patterns allowed the splitting of even those media that contained fetal bovine serum into droplets of a desired shape.

Template-directed formation of functional complex metal-oxide nanostructures by combination of sol-gel processing and spin coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Y.C.; Kim, J.; Bu, S.D.

2006-01-01

We report the template-based formation of functional complex metal-oxide nanostructures by a combination of sol-gel processing and spin coating. This method employs the spin-coating of a sol-gel solution into an anodic aluminum oxide membrane (SSAM). Various metal-oxide nanowires and nanotubes with a high aspect-ratio were prepared. The aspect-ratios of the PbO 2 nanowires and Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 )O 3 nanowires were about 300 and 400, respectively, and their diameters were about 50 nm. The fabricated PbTiO 3 nanotubes have a relatively constant wall thickness of about 20 nm with an outer diameter of about 60 nm. The deposition time for all of the fabricated metal-oxide nanowires and nanotubes is less than 120 s, which is far shorter than those required in both the sol-gel dipping and sol-gel electrophoretic methods. These results indicate that the SSAM method can be a versatile pathway to prepare functional complex metal-oxide nanowires and nanotubes with a high aspect-ratio. The possible formation process for the one-dimensional nanostructures by SSAM is discussed

Structure and property evaluation of a vacuum plasma sprayed nanostructured tungsten-hafnium carbide bulk composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rea, K.E.; Viswanathan, V.; Kruize, A.; Hosson, J.Th.M. de; O'Dell, S.; McKechnie, T.; Rajagopalan, S.; Vaidyanathan, R.; Seal, S.

2008-01-01

Vacuum plasma spray (VPS) forming of tungsten-based metal matrix nanocomposites (MMCs) has shown to be a cost effective and time saving method for the formation of bulk monolithic nanostructured thermo-mechanical components. Spray drying of powder feedstock appears to have a significant effect on the improved mechanical properties of the bulk nanocomposite. The reported elastic modulus of the nanocomposite nearly doubles due to the presence of HfC nano particulates in the W matrix. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed the retention of nanostructures at the select process conditions and is correlated with the enhanced mechanical properties of the nanocomposite

Laser-assisted nanostructuring of Tungsten in liquid environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barmina, E.V., E-mail: barminaev@gmail.com [Wave Research Center of A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38, Vavilov Street, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Stratakis, E. [Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (IESL-FORTH), P.O. Box 1527, Heraklion 711 10 (Greece); Materials Science and Technology Department, University of Crete, Heraklion 710 03 (Greece); Barberoglou, M. [Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (IESL-FORTH), P.O. Box 1527, Heraklion 711 10 (Greece); Physics Department, University of Crete, Heraklion 714 09 (Greece); Stolyarov, V.N.; Stolyarov, I.N. [Roentgenprom, 35 Lenin str., Protvino, 1442281 Moscow region (Russian Federation); Fotakis, C. [Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (IESL-FORTH), P.O. Box 1527, Heraklion 711 10 (Greece); Physics Department, University of Crete, Heraklion 714 09 (Greece); Shafeev, G.A. [Wave Research Center of A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38, Vavilov Street, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation)

2012-05-15

Formation of surface nanostructures on Tungsten target immersed into liquids is experimentally studied under its exposure to femtosecond laser pulses with different durations. In particular, nanotexturing of Tungsten upon its exposure to delayed femtosecond pulses is investigated. Two different types of morphological features are observed, namely periodic ripples and nanostructures. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows that the density of nanostructures as well as their morphology depends on the time delay between pulses and reaches its maximum at 1 ps delay. Thermionic emission of nano-structured W cathode is investigated. The work function of nanostructured W surface is measured to be 0.3 eV lower than that of the pristine surface.

Influence of the fuel in the nanostructure catalyzer oxides synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zampiva, R.Y.S.; Panta, P.C.; Carlos, R.B.; Alves, A.K.; Bergmann, C.P.

2012-01-01

Among the techniques used in catalysts production, the solution combustion synthesis (SCS) has been increasingly applied due the possibility of producing, at low cost, highly pure and homogeneous nanostructured powders. The smaller the particle diameter, the greater the activity of the catalyst. In SCS, the size of the particles produced depends on the process variables. In order to formulate the optimal methodology for the preparation of nanostructured oxides for catalysis, it was studied the fuel-oxidant concentration ratio, and the use of glycine and polyethylene glycol with molecular weight 200 (PEG 200) as fuel in the SCS of Iron, Magnesium and Molybdenum based catalysts. The phase identification of the products was performed by x-ray diffraction (XRD). Particle size and surface area analysis were done to characterize the particles size and the samples morphology was obtained by scanning electron microscopy. Results indicated the formation of high purity nanomaterials obtained for low concentrations of fuel, and a wide variation in the nanostructure sizes depending on the concentration and type of fuel used. (author)

Metal Surface Modification for Obtaining Nano- and Sub-Nanostructured Protective Layers

Science.gov (United States)

Ledovskykh, Volodymyr; Vyshnevska, Yuliya; Brazhnyk, Igor; Levchenko, Sergiy

2017-03-01

Regularities of the phase protective layer formation in multicomponent systems involving inhibitors with different mechanism of protective action have been investigated. It was shown that optimization of the composition of the inhibition mixture allows to obtain higher protective efficiency owing to improved microstructure of the phase layer. It was found that mechanism of the film formation in the presence of NaNO2-PHMG is due to deposition of slightly soluble PHMG-Fe complexes on the metal surface. On the basis of the proposed mechanism, the advanced surface engineering methods for obtaining nanoscaled and sub-nanostructured functional coatings may be developed.

Aerosol formation of Sea-Urchin-like nanostructures of carbon nanotubes on bimetallic nanocomposite particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S. H.; Wang, C.; Zachariah, M. R.

2011-01-01

With the advantage of continuous production of pure carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a new simple aerosol process for the formation of CNTs was developed. A combination of conventional spray pyrolysis and thermal chemical vapor deposition enabled the formation unusual sea-urchin-like carbon nanostructures composed of multi-walled CNTs and metal composite nanoparticles. The CNTs formed were relatively untangled and uniform with a diameter of less than∼10 nm. The key to the formation of CNTs in this way was to create a substrate particle containing both a catalytic and non-catalytic component, which prevented coking. The density of the CNTs grown on the spherical metal nanoparticles could be controlled by perturbing the density of the metal catalysts (Fe) in the host non-catalytic metal particle matrix (Al). Mobility size measurement was identified as a useful technique to real-time characterization of either the catalytic formation of thin carbon layer or CNTs on the surface of the metal aerosol. These materials have shown unique properties in enhancing the thermal conductivity of fluids. Other potential advantages are that the as-produced material can be manipulated easily without the concern of high mobility of conventional nanowires, and then subsequently released at the desired time in an unagglomerated state.

Templated electrodeposition of functional nanostructures: nanowires, nanotubes and nanocubes

OpenAIRE

Maijenburg, A.W.

2014-01-01

This thesis is entitled “Templated electrodeposition of functional nanostructures: nanowires, nanotubes and nanocubes”. Templated electrodeposition is the synthesis technique that was used throughout this thesis, and it comprises the use of a template with specific shape and dimensions for the formation of different types of nanostructures. Throughout this thesis, three different nanostructures were made: nanowires (Chapters 2 to 6), nanotubes (Chapters 2 and 5) and nanocubes (Chapters 7 and ...

Fabrication of nanowires and nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mátéfi-Tempfli, Stefan; Mátéfi-Tempfli, M.; Piraux, L.

2009-01-01

We report on different approaches that we have adopted and developed for the fabrication of nanowires and nanostructures. Methods based on template synthesis and on self organization seem to be the most promising for the fabrication of nanomaterials and nanostructures due to their easiness and low...... cost. The development of a supported nanoporous alumina template and the possibility of using this template to combine electrochemical synthesis with lithographic methods open new ways for the fabrication of complex nanostructures. The numerous advantages of the supported template and its compatibility...

Nanostructures of Boron, Carbon and Magnesium Diboride for High Temperature Superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pfefferle, Lisa [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Fang, Fang [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Iyyamperumal, Eswarmoorthi [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Keskar, Gayatri [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)

2013-12-23

Direct fabrication of MgxBy nanostructures is achieved by employing metal (Ni,Mg) incorporated MCM-41 in the Hybrid Physical-Chemical Vapor Deposition (HPCVD) reaction. Different reaction conditions are tested to optimize the fabrication process. TEM analysis shows the fabrication of MgxBy nanostructures starting at the reaction temperature of 600oC, with the yield of the nanostructures increasing with increasing reaction temperature. The as-synthesized MgxBy nanostructures have the diameters in the range of 3-5nm, which do not increase with the reaction temperature consistent with templated synthesis. EELS analysis of the template removed nanostructures confirms the existence of B and Mg with possible contamination of Si and O. NEXAFS and Raman spectroscopy analysis suggested a concentric layer-by-layer MgxBy nanowire/nanotube growth model for our as-synthesized nanostructures. Ni k-edge XAS indicates that the formation of MgNi alloy particles is important for the Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) growth of MgxBy nanostructures with fine diameters, and the presence of Mg vapor not just Mg in the catalyst is crucial for the formation of Ni-Mg clusters. Physical templating by the MCM-41 pores was shown to confine the diameter of the nanostructures. DC magnetization measurements indicate possible superconductive behaviors in the as-synthesized samples.

An overview on cellulose-based material in tailoring bio-hybrid nanostructured photocatalysts for water treatment and renewable energy applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Mohamad Azuwa; Abd Mutalib, Muhazri; Mohd Hir, Zul Adlan; M Zain, M F; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; Jeffery Minggu, Lorna; Awang, Nor Asikin; W Salleh, W N

2017-10-01

A combination between the nanostructured photocatalyst and cellulose-based materials promotes a new functionality of cellulose towards the development of new bio-hybrid materials for various applications especially in water treatment and renewable energy. The excellent compatibility and association between nanostructured photocatalyst and cellulose-based materials was induced by bio-combability and high hydrophilicity of the cellulose components. The electron rich hydroxyl group of celluloses helps to promote superior interaction with photocatalyst. The formation of bio-hybrid nanostructured are attaining huge interest nowadays due to the synergistic properties of individual cellulose-based material and photocatalyst nanoparticles. Therefore, in this review we introduce some cellulose-based material and discusses its compatibility with nanostructured photocatalyst in terms of physical and chemical properties. In addition, we gather information and evidence on the fabrication techniques of cellulose-based hybrid nanostructured photocatalyst and its recent application in the field of water treatment and renewable energy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silicon-germanium (Sige) nanostructures production, properties and applications in electronics

CERN Document Server

Usami, N

2011-01-01

Nanostructured silicon-germanium (SiGe) provides the prospect of novel and enhanced electronic device performance. This book reviews the materials science and technology of SiGe nanostructures, including crystal growth, fabrication of nanostructures, material properties and applications in electronics.$bNanostructured silicon-germanium (SiGe) opens up the prospects of novel and enhanced electronic device performance, especially for semiconductor devices. Silicon-germanium (SiGe) nanostructures reviews the materials science of nanostructures and their properties and applications in different electronic devices. The introductory part one covers the structural properties of SiGe nanostructures, with a further chapter discussing electronic band structures of SiGe alloys. Part two concentrates on the formation of SiGe nanostructures, with chapters on different methods of crystal growth such as molecular beam epitaxy and chemical vapour deposition. This part also includes chapters covering strain engineering and mo...

An SU-8-based microprobe with a nanostructured surface enhances neuronal cell attachment and growth

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Eunhee; Kim, Jin-Young; Choi, Hongsoo

2017-12-01

Microprobes are used to repair neuronal injury by recording electrical signals from neuronal cells around the surface of the device. Following implantation into the brain, the immune response results in formation of scar tissue around the microprobe. However, neurons must be in close proximity to the microprobe to enable signal recording. A common reason for failure of microprobes is impaired signal recording due to scar tissue, which is not related to the microprobe itself. Therefore, the device-cell interface must be improved to increase the number of neurons in contact with the surface. In this study, we developed nanostructured SU-8 microprobes to support neuronal growth. Nanostructures of 200 nm diameter and depth were applied to the surface of microprobes, and the attachment and neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells on the microprobes were evaluated. Neuronal attachment and neurite outgrowth on the nanostructured microprobes were significantly greater than those on non-nanostructured microprobes. The enhanced neuronal attachment and neurite outgrowth on the nanostructured microprobes occurred in the absence of an adhesive coating, such as poly- l-lysine, and so may be useful for implantable devices for long-term use. Therefore, nanostructured microprobes can be implanted without adhesive coating, which can cause problems in vivo over the long term.

Differential Geometry Applied to Rings and Möbius Nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, Benny; Willatzen, Morten; Gravesen, Jens

2014-01-01

Nanostructure shape effects have become a topic of increasing interest due to advancements in fabrication technology. In order to pursue novel physics and better devices by tailoring the shape and size of nanostructures, effective analytical and computational tools are indispensable. In this chap......Nanostructure shape effects have become a topic of increasing interest due to advancements in fabrication technology. In order to pursue novel physics and better devices by tailoring the shape and size of nanostructures, effective analytical and computational tools are indispensable....... In this chapter, we present analytical and computational differential geometry methods to examine particle quantum eigenstates and eigenenergies in curved and strained nanostructures. Example studies are carried out for a set of ring structures with different radii and it is shown that eigenstate and eigenenergy...

Formation of vertically aligned carbon nanostructures in plasmas: numerical modelling of growth and energy exchange

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Denysenko, I; Azarenkov, N A, E-mail: idenysenko@yahoo.com [School of Physics and Technology, V N Karazin Kharkiv National University, 4 Svobody sq., 61077 Kharkiv (Ukraine)

2011-05-04

Results on modelling of the plasma-assisted growth of vertically aligned carbon nanostructures and of the energy exchange between the plasma and the growing nanostructures are reviewed. Growth of carbon nanofibres and single-walled carbon nanotubes is considered. Focus is made on studies that use the models based on mass balance equations for species, which are adsorbed on catalyst nanoparticles or walls of the nanostructures. It is shown that the models can be effectively used for the study and optimization of nanostructure growth in plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The results from these models are in good agreement with the available experimental data on the growth of nanostructures. It is discussed how input parameters for the models may be obtained.

Characterization of ion beam induced nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghatak, J.; Satpati, B.; Umananda, M.; Kabiraj, D.; Som, T.; Dev, B.N.; Akimoto, K.; Ito, K.; Emoto, T.; Satyam, P.V.

2006-01-01

Tailoring of nanostructures with energetic ion beams has become an active area of research leading to the fundamental understanding of ion-solid interactions at nanoscale regime and with possible applications in the near future. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and asymmetric X-ray Bragg-rocking curve experimental methods have been used to characterize ion-induced effects in nanostructures. The possibility of surface and sub-surface/interface alloying at nano-scale regime, ion-beam induced embedding, crater formation, sputtering yield variations for systems with isolated nanoislands, semi-continuous and continuous films of noble metals (Au, Ag) deposited on single crystalline silicon will be reviewed. MeV-ion induced changes in specified Au-nanoislands on silicon substrate are tracked as a function of ion fluence using ex situ TEM. Strain induced in the bulk silicon substrate surface due to 1.5 MeV Au 2+ and C 2+ ion beam irradiation is determined by using HRTEM and asymmetric Bragg X-ray rocking curve methods. Preliminary results on 1.5 MeV Au 2+ ion-induced effects in nanoislands of Co deposited on silicon substrate will be discussed

Charge separation sensitized by advanced II-VI semiconductor nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelley, David F. [Univ.of California, Merced, CA (United States)

2017-04-11

This proposal focuses on how the composition and morphology of pure and alloyed II-VI semiconductor heterostructures control their spectroscopic and dynamical properties. The proposed research will use a combination of synthesis development, electron microscopy, time-resolved electronic spectroscopy and modeling calculations to study these nanostructures. The proposed research will examine the extent to which morphology, compression due to lattice mismatch and alloy effects can be used to tune the electron and hole energies and the spectroscopic properties of II-VI heterojunctions. It will also use synthesis, optical spectroscopy and HRTEM to examine the role of lattice mismatch and hence lattice strain in producing interfacial defects, and the extent to which defect formation can be prevented by controlling the composition profile through the particles and across the interfaces. Finally, we will study the magnitude of the surface roughness in core/shell nanostructures and the role of shell thickness variability on the inhomogeneity of interfacial charge transfer rates.

Shape evolution of nanostructures by thermal and ion beam processing. Modeling and atomistic simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roentzsch, L.

2007-07-01

Single-crystalline nanostructures often exhibit gradients of surface (and/or interface) curvature that emerge from fabrication and growth processes or from thermal fluctuations. Thus, the system-inherent capillary force can initiate morphological transformations during further processing steps or during operation at elevated temperature. Therefore and because of the ongoing miniaturization of functional structures which causes a general rise in surface-to-volume ratios, solid-state capillary phenomena will become increasingly important: On the one hand diffusion-mediated capillary processes can be of practical use in view of non-conventional nanostructure fabrication methods based on self-organization mechanisms, on the other hand they can destroy the integrity of nanostructures which can go along with the failure of functionality. Additionally, capillarity-induced shape transformations are effected and can thereby be controlled by applied fields and forces (guided or driven evolution). With these prospects and challenges at hand, formation and shape transformation of single-crystalline nanostructures due to the system-inherent capillary force in combination with external fields or forces are investigated in the frame of this dissertation by means of atomistic computer simulations. For the exploration (search, description, and prediction) of reaction pathways of nanostructure shape transformations, kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations are the method of choice. Since the employed KMC code is founded on a cellular automaton principle, the spatio-temporal development of lattice-based N-particle systems (N up to several million) can be followed for time spans of several orders of magnitude, while considering local phenomena due to atomic-scale effects like diffusion, nucleation, dissociation, or ballistic displacements. In this work, the main emphasis is put on nanostructures which have a cylindrical geometry, for example, nanowires (NWs), nanorods, nanotubes etc

Shape evolution of nanostructures by thermal and ion beam processing. Modeling and atomistic simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roentzsch, L.

2007-01-01

Single-crystalline nanostructures often exhibit gradients of surface (and/or interface) curvature that emerge from fabrication and growth processes or from thermal fluctuations. Thus, the system-inherent capillary force can initiate morphological transformations during further processing steps or during operation at elevated temperature. Therefore and because of the ongoing miniaturization of functional structures which causes a general rise in surface-to-volume ratios, solid-state capillary phenomena will become increasingly important: On the one hand diffusion-mediated capillary processes can be of practical use in view of non-conventional nanostructure fabrication methods based on self-organization mechanisms, on the other hand they can destroy the integrity of nanostructures which can go along with the failure of functionality. Additionally, capillarity-induced shape transformations are effected and can thereby be controlled by applied fields and forces (guided or driven evolution). With these prospects and challenges at hand, formation and shape transformation of single-crystalline nanostructures due to the system-inherent capillary force in combination with external fields or forces are investigated in the frame of this dissertation by means of atomistic computer simulations. For the exploration (search, description, and prediction) of reaction pathways of nanostructure shape transformations, kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations are the method of choice. Since the employed KMC code is founded on a cellular automaton principle, the spatio-temporal development of lattice-based N-particle systems (N up to several million) can be followed for time spans of several orders of magnitude, while considering local phenomena due to atomic-scale effects like diffusion, nucleation, dissociation, or ballistic displacements. In this work, the main emphasis is put on nanostructures which have a cylindrical geometry, for example, nanowires (NWs), nanorods, nanotubes etc

Design and fabrication of Ni nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Sada, Takao; Fujigaya, Tsuyohiko; Nakashima, Naotoshi

2014-09-01

We propose a concept for the design and fabrication of metal nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures inside the pores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane using a sacrificial metal. In this study, nickel (Ni) and silver (Ag) were used as the base metal and the sacrificial metal, respectively. Alternating an applied potential between -0.4 and -1.0 V provided alternatively deposited Ni and Ag segments in a Ni-Ag `barcode' nanowire with a diameter of 18 or 35 nm. After etching away the Ag segments, we fabricated Ni nanowires with nanopores of 12 +/- 5.3 nm. Such nanostructure formation is explained by the formation of a Ni shell layer over the surface of the Ag segments due to the strong affinity of Ni2+ for the interior surfaces of AAO. The Ni shell layer allows the Ni segments to remain even after dissolution of the Ag segments. Because the electroplating conditions can be easily controlled, we could carefully adjust the size and pitch of the periodically hollow nanospaces. We also describe a method for the fabrication of Ni nanorods by forming an Ag shell instead of a Ni shell on the Ni-Ag barcode nanowire, in which the interior of the AAO surfaces was modified with a compound bearing a thiol group prior to electroplating.We propose a concept for the design and fabrication of metal nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures inside the pores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane using a sacrificial metal. In this study, nickel (Ni) and silver (Ag) were used as the base metal and the sacrificial metal, respectively. Alternating an applied potential between -0.4 and -1.0 V provided alternatively deposited Ni and Ag segments in a Ni-Ag `barcode' nanowire with a diameter of 18 or 35 nm. After etching away the Ag segments, we fabricated Ni nanowires with nanopores of 12 +/- 5.3 nm. Such nanostructure formation is explained by the formation of a Ni shell layer over the surface of the Ag segments due to the strong affinity of Ni2+ for the

Effect of Er{sup 3+} ions on the phase formation and properties of In{sub 2}O{sub 3}nanostructures crystallized upon microwave heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lemos, Samantha C.S.; Romeiro, Fernanda C.; Paula, Leonardo F. de [Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG (Brazil); Gonçalves, Rosana F. [UNIFESP, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, 09972-270 Diadema, SP (Brazil); Moura, Ana P. de [LIEC, Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista, 14800-900 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Ferrer, Mateus M.; Longo, Elson [INCTMN-UFSCar, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, 13565-905 São Carlos, SP (Brazil); Patrocinio, Antonio Otavio T. [Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG (Brazil); Lima, Renata C., E-mail: rclima@ufu.br [Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG (Brazil)

2017-05-15

Regular sized nanostructures of indium oxide (In{sub 2}O{sub 3}) were homogeneously grown using a facile route, i.e. a microwave-hydrothermal method combined with rapid thermal treatment in a microwave oven. The presence of Er{sup 3+} doping plays an important role in controlling the formation of cubic (bcc) and rhombohedral (rh) In{sub 2}O{sub 3} phases. The samples presented broad photoluminescent emission bands in the green-orange region, which were attributed to the recombination of electrons at oxygen vacancies. The photocatalytic activities of pure bcc-In{sub 2}O{sub 3} and a bcc-rh-In{sub 2}O{sub 3} mixture towards the UVA degradation of methylene blue (MB) were also evaluated. The results showed that Er{sup +3} doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity with a photonic efficiency three times higher than the pure oxide. The improved performance was attributed to the higher surface area, the greater concentration of electron traps due the presence of the dopant and the possible formation of heterojunctions between the cubic and rhombohedral phases. - Graphical abstract: Photodegradation curves as a function of irradiation time of the samples obtained upon rapid microwave heating. - Highlights: • Efficient and rapid microwave heating to obtain Er{sup 3+} doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructures. • Er{sup 3+} ions doping is fundamental to stabilizing the crystalline rhombohedral phase. • Symmetry breaking induced by vacancies in the lattice leads to photoluminescence. • Surface area of doped sample was two times higher than the surface of pure oxide. • The presence of defects in the lattice structure favors photocatalytic activity.

Nanostructured Y2O3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skandan, G.; Hahn, H.; Parker, J.C.

1991-01-01

It has been shown that a variety of nanostructured (n-) metal-oxide ceramics such as n-TiO 2 , n-ZrO 2 , n-Al 2 O 3 , n-ZnO and n-MgO can be produced using the inert gas condensation process. Amongst all the nanostructured oxides, the synthesis, microstructure, sintering, and mechanical properties of n-TiO 2 have been studied the most extensively. The gas condensation preparation of nanostructured metal-oxide ceramics involves evaporation of metal nanoparticles, collection and post- oxidation. The original synthesis studies of n-TiO 2 showed that in order to avoid formation of the many low oxidation state oxides in the Ti-O system, the post-oxidation had to be performed by rapidly exposing the Ti nanoparticles to pure oxygen gas. By doing so, the highest oxidation state and the most stable structure, rutile, was obtained. An undesired feature of this step is that the nanoparticles heat up to high temperatures for a brief period of time due to the exothermic nature of the oxidation. As a consequence, the particles with an average size of 12 nm tend to agglomerate into larger structures up to 50 nm. The agglomerated state of the powder is important since it determines the original density and pore size distribution after compaction, as well as the sintering characteristics and final microstructure of the bulk sample. As a consequence of the preparation procedure of n-TiO 2 and the resulting agglomeration, the pore size distribution of n-TiO 2 compacted at room temperature is very wide, with pore sizes ranging from 1 to 200 nm. Nevertheless, the n-TiO 2 sinters at temperatures several hundred degrees lower than conventional coarse grained ceramics. From the previous results on n- TiO 2 it is anticipated that better microstructures and properties can be achieved by reducing the agglomeration of nanostructured powders through a more controlled post- oxidation process

Surface nanostructuring by ion-induced localized plasma expansion in zinc oxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Said, A. S., E-mail: elsaid@kfupm.edu.sa, E-mail: a.s.el-said@hzdr.de [Physics Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), 01328 Dresden (Germany); Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, 35516 Mansoura (Egypt); Moslem, W. M. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said 42521 (Egypt); Centre for Theoretical Physics, British University in Egypt (BUE), El-Shorouk City, Cairo (Egypt); Djebli, M. [Theoretical Physics Laboratory, Faculty of Physics USTHB, B.P. 32 Bab Ezzour, 16079 Algiers (Algeria)

2014-06-09

Creation of hillock-like nanostructures on the surface of zinc oxide single crystals by irradiation with slow highly charged ions is reported. At constant kinetic energy, the nanostructures were only observed after irradiation with ions of potential energies above a threshold between 19.1 keV and 23.3 keV. The size of the nanostructures increases as a function of potential energy. A plasma expansion approach is used to explain the nanostructures creation. The calculations showed that the surface nanostructures became taller with the increase of ionic temperature. The influence of charged cluster formation and the relevance of their polarity are discussed.

Surface nanostructuring by ion-induced localized plasma expansion in zinc oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Said, A. S.; Moslem, W. M.; Djebli, M.

2014-01-01

Creation of hillock-like nanostructures on the surface of zinc oxide single crystals by irradiation with slow highly charged ions is reported. At constant kinetic energy, the nanostructures were only observed after irradiation with ions of potential energies above a threshold between 19.1 keV and 23.3 keV. The size of the nanostructures increases as a function of potential energy. A plasma expansion approach is used to explain the nanostructures creation. The calculations showed that the surface nanostructures became taller with the increase of ionic temperature. The influence of charged cluster formation and the relevance of their polarity are discussed.

Irradiation-Induced Nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Birtcher, R.C.; Ewing, R.C.; Matzke, Hj.; Meldrum, A.; Newcomer, P.P.; Wang, L.M.; Wang, S.X.; Weber, W.J.

1999-08-09

This paper summarizes the results of the studies of the irradiation-induced formation of nanostructures, where the injected interstitials from the source of irradiation are not major components of the nanophase. This phenomena has been observed by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in a number of intermetallic compounds and ceramics during high-energy electron or ion irradiations when the ions completely penetrate through the specimen. Beginning with single crystals, electron or ion irradiation in a certain temperature range may result in nanostructures composed of amorphous domains and nanocrystals with either the original composition and crystal structure or new nanophases formed by decomposition of the target material. The phenomenon has also been observed in natural materials which have suffered irradiation from the decay of constituent radioactive elements and in nuclear reactor fuels which have been irradiated by fission neutrons and other fission products. The mechanisms involved in the process of this nanophase formation are discussed in terms of the evolution of displacement cascades, radiation-induced defect accumulation, radiation-induced segregation and phase decomposition, as well as the competition between irradiation-induced amorphization and recrystallization.

Facile conversion of bulk metal surface to metal oxide single-crystalline nanostructures by microwave irradiation: Formation of pure or Cr-doped hematite nanostructure arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Seungho; Jeong, Haeyoon; Lee, Kun-Hong

2010-01-01

We report a method for converting the surfaces of bulk metal substrates (pure iron or stainless steel) to metal oxide (hematite or Cr-doped hematite) nanostructures using microwave irradiation. When microwave radiation (2.45 GHz, single-mode) was applied to a metal substrate under the flow of a gas mixture containing O 2 and Ar, metal oxide nanostructures formed and entirely covered the substrate. The nanostructures were single crystalline, and the atomic ratios of the substrate metals were preserved in the nanostructures. When a pure iron sheet was used as a substrate, hematite nanowires (1000 W microwave radiation) or nanosheets (1800 W microwave radiation) formed on the surface of the substrate. When a SUS410 sheet was used as a substrate, slightly curved rod-like nanostructures were synthesized. The oxidation states of Fe and Cr in these nanorods were Fe 3+ and Cr 3+ . Quantitative analyses revealed an average Fe/Cr atomic ratio of 9.2, nearly identical to the ratio of the metals in the SUS410 substrate.

Nanostructured Basaltfiberconcrete Exploitational Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Saraykina, K. A.; Shamanov, V. A.

2017-11-01

The article demonstrates that the mass use of basalt fiber concrete (BFC) is constrained by insufficient study of their durability and serviceability in a variety of environments. This research is aimed at the study of the basalt fiber corrosion processes in the cement stone of BFC, the control of the new products structure formation in order to protect the reinforcing fiber from alkaline destruction and thereby improve the exploitational characteristics of the composite. The research result revealed that the modification of basaltfiber concrete by the dispersion of MWNTs contributes to the directional formation of new products in the cement matrix. The HAM additive in basaltfiberconcrete provides for the binding of portlandite to low-basic calcium hydroaluminosilicates, thus reducing the aggressive effect of the cement environment on the reinforcing fibers properties. The complex modification of BFC with nanostructured additives provides for an increase in its durability and exploitational properties (strength, frost resistance and water resistance) due to basalt fiber protection from alkali corrosion on account of the compacting of the contact zone “basalt fiber - cement stone” and designing of the new products structure and morphology of cement matrix over the fiber surface.

Formation of three-dimensional ZnSe-based semiconductor nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alyshev, S. V.; Zabezhaylov, A. O.; Mironov, R. A.; Kozlovsky, V. I.; Dianov, E. M.

2010-01-01

Nanostructures consisting of a 10-nm-thick sacrificial layer of ZnMgSSe and a 20-nm-thick stressed bilayer of ZnSSe/ZnSe were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates. Upon removal of the sacrificial layer by selective etching, multiwall ZnSSe/ZnSe microtubes were formed.

Nanotechnology and health safety--toxicity and risk assessments of nanostructured materials on human health.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Surya; Nalwa, Hari Singh

2007-09-01

The field of nanotechnology has recently emerged as the most commercially viable technology of this century because of its wide-ranging applications in our daily lives. Man-made nanostructured materials such as fullerenes, nanoparticles, nanopowders, nanotubes, nanowires, nanorods, nanofibers, quantum dots, dendrimers, nanoclusters, nanocrystals, and nanocomposites are globally produced in large quantities due to their wide potential applications, e.g., in skincare and consumer products, healthcare, electronics, photonics, biotechnology, engineering products, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery, and agriculture. Human exposure to these nanostructured materials is inevitable, as they can enter the body through the lungs or other organs via food, drink, and medicine and affect different organs and tissues such as the brain, liver, kidney, heart, colon, spleen, bone, blood, etc., and may cause cytotoxic effects, e.g., deformation and inhibition of cell growth leading to various diseases in humans and animals. Since a very wide variety of nanostructured materials exits, their interactions with biological systems and toxicity largely depend upon their properties, such as size, concentration, solubility, chemical and biological properties, and stability. The toxicity of nanostructured materials could be reduced by chemical approaches such by surface treatment, functionalization, and composite formation. This review summarizes the sources of various nanostructured materials and their human exposure, biocompatibility in relation to potential toxicological effects, risk assessment, and safety evaluation on human and animal health as well as on the environment.

Nanostructure Formation by controlled dewetting on patterned substrates: A combined theoretical, modeling and experimental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Liang-Xing; Wang, Ying-Min; Srinivasan, Bharathi Madurai; Asbahi, Mohamed; Yang, Joel K W; Zhang, Yong-Wei

2016-09-01

We perform systematic two-dimensional energetic analysis to study the stability of various nanostructures formed by dewetting solid films deposited on patterned substrates. Our analytical results show that by controlling system parameters such as the substrate surface pattern, film thickness and wetting angle, a variety of equilibrium nanostructures can be obtained. Phase diagrams are presented to show the complex relations between these system parameters and various nanostructure morphologies. We further carry out both phase field simulations and dewetting experiments to validate the analytically derived phase diagrams. Good agreements between the results from our energetic analyses and those from our phase field simulations and experiments verify our analysis. Hence, the phase diagrams presented here provide guidelines for using solid-state dewetting as a tool to achieve various nanostructures.

Biological Properties of Ti-Nb-Zr-O Nanostructures Grown on Ti35Nb5Zr Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaohui Li

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Surface modification of low modulus implant alloys with oxide nanostructures is one of the important ways to achieve favorable biological behaviors. In the present work, amorphous Ti-Nb-Zr-O nanostructures were grown on a peak-aged Ti35Nb5Zr alloy through anodization. Biological properties of the Ti-Nb-Zr-O nanostructures were investigated through in vitro bioactivity testings, stem cell interactions, and drug release experiments. The Ti-Nb-Zr-O nanostructures demonstrated a good capability of inducing apatite formation after immersion in simulated body fluids (SBFs. Drug delivery experiment based on gentamicin and the Ti-Nb-Zr-O nanostructures indicated that a high drug loading content could result in a prolonged release process and a higher quantity of drug residues in the oxide nanostructures after drug release. Quick stem cell adhesion and spreading, as well as fast formation of extracellular matrix materials on the surfaces of the Ti-Nb-Zr-O nanostructures, were found. These findings make it possible to further explore the biomedical applications of the Ti-Nb-Zr-O nanostructure modified alloys especially clinical operation of orthopaedics by utilizing the nanostructures-based drug-release system.

Nanostructured Diamond-Like Carbon Films Grown by Off-Axis Pulsed Laser Deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong Shan Yap

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nanostructured diamond-like carbon (DLC films instead of the ultrasmooth film were obtained by pulsed laser ablation of pyrolytic graphite. Deposition was performed at room temperature in vacuum with substrates placed at off-axis position. The configuration utilized high density plasma plume arriving at low effective angle for the formation of nanostructured DLC. Nanostructures with maximum size of 50 nm were deposited as compared to the ultrasmooth DLC films obtained in a conventional deposition. The Raman spectra of the films confirmed that the films were diamond-like/amorphous in nature. Although grown at an angle, ion energy of >35 eV was obtained at the off-axis position. This was proposed to be responsible for subplantation growth of sp3 hybridized carbon. The condensation of energetic clusters and oblique angle deposition correspondingly gave rise to the formation of nanostructured DLC in this study.

Nanostructured aqueous dispersions of citrem interacting with lipids and PEGylated lipids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedegaard, S.F.; Nilsson, Christa; Laurinmäki, P.

2013-01-01

We report on the formation of nanostructured aqueous dispersions based on the negatively charged food-grade emulsifier citrem (citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides). To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature on the spontaneous formation of aqueous PEGylated and non-PEGy...... ) phase. Based on the SAXS results, the partial replacement of citrem by high amount of MO or PHYT induced the formation of hexosomes. The investigated dispersions of citrem could be attractive as nanocarriers of poorly water-soluble drugs and functional foods.......We report on the formation of nanostructured aqueous dispersions based on the negatively charged food-grade emulsifier citrem (citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides). To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature on the spontaneous formation of aqueous PEGylated and non...

Growth, characterization and electrochemical properties of hierarchical CuO nanostructures for supercapacitor applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishnamoorthy, Karthikeyan [Nanomaterials and System Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jeju National University, Jeju 690 756 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sang-Jae, E-mail: kimsangj@jejunu.ac.kr [Nanomaterials and System Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jeju National University, Jeju 690 756 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, Jeju 690 756 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-09-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Hierarchical CuO nanostructures were grown on Cu foil. • Monoclinic phase of CuO was grown. • XPS analysis revealed the presence of Cu(2p{sub 3/2}) and Cu(2p{sub 1/2}) on the surfaces. • Specific capacitance of 94 F/g was achieved for the CuO using cyclic voltammetry. • Impedance spectra show their pseudo capacitor applications. - Abstract: In this paper, we have investigated the electrochemical properties of hierarchical CuO nanostructures for pseudo-supercapacitor device applications. Moreover, the CuO nanostructures were formed on Cu substrate by in situ crystallization process. The as-grown CuO nanostructures were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infra red spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) analysis. The XRD and FT-IR analysis confirm the formation of monoclinic CuO nanostructures. FE-SEM analysis shows the formation of leave like hierarchical structures of CuO with high uniformity and controlled density. The electrochemical analysis such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies confirms the pseudo-capacitive behavior of the CuO nanostructures. Our experimental results suggest that CuO nanostructures will create promising applications of CuO toward pseudo-supercapacitors.

Growth, characterization and electrochemical properties of hierarchical CuO nanostructures for supercapacitor applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnamoorthy, Karthikeyan; Kim, Sang-Jae

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Hierarchical CuO nanostructures were grown on Cu foil. • Monoclinic phase of CuO was grown. • XPS analysis revealed the presence of Cu(2p 3/2 ) and Cu(2p 1/2 ) on the surfaces. • Specific capacitance of 94 F/g was achieved for the CuO using cyclic voltammetry. • Impedance spectra show their pseudo capacitor applications. - Abstract: In this paper, we have investigated the electrochemical properties of hierarchical CuO nanostructures for pseudo-supercapacitor device applications. Moreover, the CuO nanostructures were formed on Cu substrate by in situ crystallization process. The as-grown CuO nanostructures were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infra red spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) analysis. The XRD and FT-IR analysis confirm the formation of monoclinic CuO nanostructures. FE-SEM analysis shows the formation of leave like hierarchical structures of CuO with high uniformity and controlled density. The electrochemical analysis such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies confirms the pseudo-capacitive behavior of the CuO nanostructures. Our experimental results suggest that CuO nanostructures will create promising applications of CuO toward pseudo-supercapacitors

ZnO Nanostructures for Tissue Engineering Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Laurenti

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This review focuses on the most recent applications of zinc oxide (ZnO nanostructures for tissue engineering. ZnO is one of the most investigated metal oxides, thanks to its multifunctional properties coupled with the ease of preparing various morphologies, such as nanowires, nanorods, and nanoparticles. Most ZnO applications are based on its semiconducting, catalytic and piezoelectric properties. However, several works have highlighted that ZnO nanostructures may successfully promote the growth, proliferation and differentiation of several cell lines, in combination with the rise of promising antibacterial activities. In particular, osteogenesis and angiogenesis have been effectively demonstrated in numerous cases. Such peculiarities have been observed both for pure nanostructured ZnO scaffolds as well as for three-dimensional ZnO-based hybrid composite scaffolds, fabricated by additive manufacturing technologies. Therefore, all these findings suggest that ZnO nanostructures represent a powerful tool in promoting the acceleration of diverse biological processes, finally leading to the formation of new living tissue useful for organ repair.

Cracks growth behaviors of commercial pure titanium under nanosecond laser irradiation for formation of nanostructure-covered microstructures (with sub-5-μm)

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, A. F.; Wang, W. J.; Mei, X. S.; Zheng, B. X.; Yan, Z. X.

2016-11-01

This study reported on the formation of sub-5-μm microstructures covered on titanium by cracks growth under 10-ns laser radiation at the wavelength of 532 nm and its induced light modification for production of nanostructures. The electric field intensity and laser power density absorbed by commercial pure titanium were computed to investigate the self-trapping introduced by cracks and the effect of surface morphology on laser propagation characteristics. It is found that nanostructures can form at the surface with the curvature radius below 20 μm. Meanwhile, variable laser fluences were applied to explore the evolution of cracks on commercial pure titanium with or without melt as spot overlap number increased. Experimental study was first performed at the peak laser fluence of 1.063 J/cm2 to investigate the microstructures induced only by cracks growth. The results demonstrated that angular microstructures with size between 1.68 μm and 4.74 μm was obtained and no nanostructure covered. Then, at the peak laser fluence of 2.126 J/cm2, there were some nanostructures covered on the melt-induced curved microstructured surface. However, surface molten material submerged in the most of cracks at the spot overlap number of 744, where the old cracks disappeared. The results indicated that there was too much molten material and melting time at the peak laser fluence of 2.126 J/cm2, which was not suitable for obtainment of perfect micro-nano structures. On this basis, peak laser fluence was reduced down to 1.595 J/cm2 and the sharp sub-5 μm microstructures with nanostructures covered was obtained at spot overlap number of 3720.

Facile hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of cesium-doped PbI2 nanostructures for optoelectronic, radiation detection and photocatalytic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Shkir, Mohd; AlFaify, S.; Yahia, I. S.; Hamdy, Mohamed S.; Ganesh, V.; Algarni, H.

2017-10-01

Low-temperature hydrothermal-assisted synthesis of pure and cesium (Cs) (1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 wt%) doped lead iodide (PbI2) nanorods and nanosheets have been achieved successfully for the first time. The structural and vibrational studies confirm the formation of a 2H-polytypic PbI2 predominantly. Scanning electron microscope analysis confirms the formation of well-aligned nanorods of average size 100 nm at low concentration and nanosheets of average thicknesses in the range of 20-40 nm at higher concentrations of Cs doping. The presence of Cs doping was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray study. Ultra-violet-visible absorbance spectra were recorded, and energy gap was calculated in the range of 3.33 to 3.45 eV for pure and Cs-doped PbI2 nanostructures which is higher than the bulk value (i.e., 2.27 eV) due to quantum confinement effect. Dielectric constant, loss, and AC conductivity studies have been done. Enhancement in Gamma linear absorption coefficient due to Cs doping confirms the suitability of prepared nanostructures for radiation detection applications. Furthermore, the photocatalytic performance of the synthesized nanostructures was evaluated in the decolorization of methyl green (MG) and methyl orange (MO) under the illumination of visible light (λ > 420 nm). The observed photocatalytic activity for 5 and 7 wt% Cs-doped PbI2 was observed to be more than pure PbI2 and also > 10 times higher than the commercially available photocatalysts. The results suggest that the prepared nanostructures are highly applicable in optoelectronic, radiation detection and many other applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Periodic nanostructures formed on a poly-methyl methacrylate surface with a femtosecond laser for biocompatibility improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Takenaka, Keisuke; Tsukamoto, Masahiro; Sato, Yuji; Ooga, Takahiro; Asai, Satoru; Murai, Kensuke

2018-06-01

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is widely used as a biomaterial. The formation of periodic nanostructures on the surface is necessary to improve the biocompatibility. A method was proposed and developed to form periodic nanostructures on a PMMA surface. A PMMA plate was placed on titanium (Ti) plate, and then the Ti plate was irradiated with a laser through the PMMA plate. We try to effectively produce periodic nanostructures on PMMA with a femtosecond laser at a fundamental wavelength by increasing the contact pressure and using titanium (Ti) plate. The contact pressure between PMMA and Ti required to form a periodic nanostructure is 300 kPa, and for a contact pressure of 2400 kPa, periodic nanostructures are formed in 62% of the laser-irradiated area on the PMMA surface. These results suggest that the formation efficiency of the periodic nanostructure depends on the laser conditions and the contact pressure.

Functionality of novel black silicon based nanostructured surfaces studied by TOF SIMS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Talian, Ivan; Aranyosiova, M.; Orinak, A.

2010-01-01

A functionality of the novel black silicon based nanostructured surfaces (BS 2) with different metal surface modifications was tested by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF SIMS). Mainly two surface functions were studied: analytical signal enhancement and analyte pre-ionization e......A functionality of the novel black silicon based nanostructured surfaces (BS 2) with different metal surface modifications was tested by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF SIMS). Mainly two surface functions were studied: analytical signal enhancement and analyte pre......-ionization effect in SIMS due to nanostructure type and the assistance of the noble metal surface coating (Ag or Au) for secondary ion formation. As a testing analyte a Rhodamine 6G was applied. Bi+ has been used as SIMS primary ions. It was found out that SIMS signal enhancement of the analyte significantly...... depends on Ag layer thickness and measured ion mode (negative, positive). The best SIMS signal enhancement was obtained at BS2 surface coated with 400 nm of Ag layer. SIMS fragmentation schemes were developed for a model analyte deposited onto a silver and gold surface. Significant differences in pre...

Dynamics study of green AuNP formation and their basis for Au-Pt core-shell nanostructure synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engelbrekt, Christian; Seselj, Nedjeljko; Ulstrup, Jens

The SAMENS method (saccharide - based approach to metallic nanostructure synthesis) is a synthesis platform for metallic nanostructures. The method has been developed since 2008 and can produce nanostructures of various sizes, shapes and compositions. Recently, a new methodology for studying the ...

Exposure of tungsten nano-structure to TEXTOR edge plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, Y.; Miyata, K.; Ohtsuka, Y.; Lee, H.T.; Fukumoto, M.; Brezinsek, S.; Coenen, J.W.; Kreter, A.; Litnovsky, A.; Philipps, V.; Schweer, B.; Sergienko, G.; Hirai, T.; Taguchi, A.; Torikai, Y.; Sugiyama, K.; Tanabe, T.; Kajita, S.; Ohno, N.

2011-01-01

W nano-structures (fuzz), produced in the linear high plasma device, NAGDIS, were exposed to TEXTOR edge plasmas (ohmic He/D mixed plasma and pure D plasma) to study formation, erosion and C deposition on W fuzz in tokamak plasmas for the first time. Fuzz layers were either completely eroded or covered by C deposit. There was no clear indication of W fuzz growth under the present conditions. There was no significant difference of C deposition between 'thick' fuzz (500-600 nm in thickness) and 'thin' fuzz (300-400 nm) in the He/D plasma. On the W fuzz surface, C deposition was enhanced probably due to reduction of effective sputtering yield and effective reflection coefficient of carbon ions, similar to roughness effects. Formation and erosion of W fuzz in tokamak devices and role of impurities are discussed.

Formation of nanostructures in Eu3+ doped glass-ceramics: an XAS study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pellicer-Porres, J; Segura, A; Martínez-Criado, G; Rodríguez-Mendoza, U R; Lavín, V

2013-01-16

We describe the results of x-ray absorption experiments carried out to deduce structural and chemical information in Eu(3+) doped, transparent, oxyfluoride glass and nanostructured glass-ceramic samples. The spectra were measured at the Pb and Eu-L(III) edges. The Eu environment in the glass samples is observed to be similar to that of EuF(3). Complementary x-ray diffraction experiments show that thermal annealing creates β-PbF(2) type nanocrystals. X-ray absorption indicates that Eu ions act as seeds in the nanocrystal formation. There is evidence of interstitial fluorine atoms around Eu ions as well as Eu dimers. X-ray absorption at the Pb-L(III) edge shows that after the thermal treatment most lead atoms form a PbO amorphous phase and that only 10% of the lead atoms remain available to form β-PbF(2) type nanocrystals. Both x-ray diffraction and absorption point to a high Eu content in the nanocrystals. Our study suggests new approaches to the oxyfluoride glass-ceramic synthesis in order to further improve their properties.

Cracks growth behaviors of commercial pure titanium under nanosecond laser irradiation for formation of nanostructure-covered microstructures (with sub-5-μm)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pan, A.F.; Wang, W.J., E-mail: wenjunwang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Mei, X.S.; Zheng, B.X.; Yan, Z.X.

2016-11-30

Highlights: • The sub-5-μm microstructures on commercial pure titanium are creatively obtained based on cracks growth under 10 ns laser irradiation. • The distribution modification of laser energy induced by cambered microstructures was theoretically analyzed to produce nanostructures. • The sharp micro-nano structures under combined action of crack growth and hot-melt are obtained. - Abstract: This study reported on the formation of sub-5-μm microstructures covered on titanium by cracks growth under 10-ns laser radiation at the wavelength of 532 nm and its induced light modification for production of nanostructures. The electric field intensity and laser power density absorbed by commercial pure titanium were computed to investigate the self-trapping introduced by cracks and the effect of surface morphology on laser propagation characteristics. It is found that nanostructures can form at the surface with the curvature radius below 20 μm. Meanwhile, variable laser fluences were applied to explore the evolution of cracks on commercial pure titanium with or without melt as spot overlap number increased. Experimental study was first performed at the peak laser fluence of 1.063 J/cm{sup 2} to investigate the microstructures induced only by cracks growth. The results demonstrated that angular microstructures with size between 1.68 μm and 4.74 μm was obtained and no nanostructure covered. Then, at the peak laser fluence of 2.126 J/cm{sup 2}, there were some nanostructures covered on the melt-induced curved microstructured surface. However, surface molten material submerged in the most of cracks at the spot overlap number of 744, where the old cracks disappeared. The results indicated that there was too much molten material and melting time at the peak laser fluence of 2.126 J/cm{sup 2}, which was not suitable for obtainment of perfect micro-nano structures. On this basis, peak laser fluence was reduced down to 1.595 J/cm{sup 2} and the sharp sub–5 �

The effect of composition on the formation of light-emitting Si nanostructures in SiO{sub x} layers on irradiation with swift heavy ions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kachurin, G. A., E-mail: kachurin@isp.nsc.ru; Cherkova, S. G.; Marin, D. V.; Kesler, V. G. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch (Russian Federation); Skuratov, V. A. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Russian Federation); Cherkov, A. G. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch (Russian Federation)

2011-03-15

The SiO{sub x} layers different in composition (0 < x < 2) are irradiated with Xe ions with the energy 167 MeV and the dose 10{sup 14} cm{sup -2} to stimulate the formation of light-emitting Si nanostructures. The irradiation gives rise to a photoluminescence band with the parameters dependent on x. As the Si content is increased, the photoluminescence is first enhanced, with the peak remaining arranged near the wavelength {lambda} Almost-Equal-To 600 nm, and then the peak shifts to {lambda} Almost-Equal-To 800 nm. It is concluded that the emission sources are quantum-confined nanoprecipitates formed by disproportionation of SiO{sub x} in ion tracks due to profound ionization losses. Changes in the photoluminescence spectrum with increasing x are attributed firstly to the increase in the probability of formation of nanoprecipitates and then to the increase in their dimensions; the latter effect is accompanied with a shift of the emission band to longer wavelengths. The subsequent quenching of photoluminescence is interpreted as a result of the removal of quantum confinement in nanoprecipitates and their coagulation.

Optical anisotropy of quasi-1D rare-earth silicide nanostructures on Si(001)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandola, S., E-mail: sandhya.chandola@isas.de [Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS – e.V., Schwarzschildstraße 8, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Speiser, E.; Esser, N. [Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS – e.V., Schwarzschildstraße 8, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Appelfeller, S.; Franz, M.; Dähne, M. [Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin (Germany)

2017-03-31

Highlights: • Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) is capable of distinguishing optically between the semiconducting wetting layer and the metallic nanowires of rare earth (Tb and Dy) silicide nanostructures grown on vicinal Si(001). • The spectra of the wetting layer show a distinctive line shape with a large peak appearing at 3.8 eV, which is assigned to the formation of 2 × 3 and 2 × 4-like subunits of the 2 × 7 reconstruction. The spectra of the metallic nanowires show peaks at the E{sub 1} and E{sub 2} transitions of bulk Si which is assigned to strong substrate strain induced by the nanowires. • The optical anisotropy of the Tb nanowires is larger than for the Dy nanowires, which is related to the preferential formation of more strained bundles as well as larger areas of clean Si surfaces in the case of Tb. • RAS is shown to be a powerful addition to surface science techniques for studying the formation of rare-earth silicide nanostructures. Its surface sensitivity and rapidity of response make it an ideal complement to the slower but higher resolution of scanning probes of STM and AFM. - Abstract: Rare earth metals are known to interact strongly with Si(001) surfaces to form different types of silicide nanostructures. Using STM to structurally characterize Dy and Tb silicide nanostructures on vicinal Si(001), it will be shown that reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) can be used as an optical fingerprint technique to clearly distinguish between the formation of a semiconducting two-dimensional wetting layer and the metallic one-dimensional nanowires. Moreover, the distinctive spectral features can be related to structural units of the nanostructures. RAS spectra of Tb and Dy nanostructures are found to show similar features.

The influence of projectile ion induced chemistry on surface pattern formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karmakar, Prasanta, E-mail: prasantak@vecc.gov.in [Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064 (India); Satpati, Biswarup [Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064 (India)

2016-07-14

We report the critical role of projectile induced chemical inhomogeneity on surface nanostructure formation. Experimental inconsistency is common for low energy ion beam induced nanostructure formation in the presence of uncontrolled and complex contamination. To explore the precise role of contamination on such structure formation during low energy ion bombardment, a simple and clean experimental study is performed by selecting mono-element semiconductors as the target and chemically inert or reactive ion beams as the projectile as well as the source of controlled contamination. It is shown by Atomic Force Microscopy, Cross-sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy, and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy measurements that bombardment of nitrogen-like reactive ions on Silicon and Germanium surfaces forms a chemical compound at impact zones. Continuous bombardment of the same ions generates surface instability due to unequal sputtering and non-uniform re-arrangement of the elemental atom and compound. This instability leads to ripple formation during ion bombardment. For Argon-like chemically inert ion bombardment, the chemical inhomogeneity induced boost is absent; as a result, no ripples are observed in the same ion energy and fluence.

Nanostructure Formations and Improvement in Corrosion Resistance of Steels by Means of Pulsed Electron Beam Surface Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. M. Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The corrosion of steels has long been the topic for materials scientists. It is established that surface treatment is an efficient way to improve the corrosion resistance of steels without changing the bulk properties and with low costs. In the present paper, different kinds of surface treatment techniques for steels are briefly reviewed. In particular, the surface modification involving nanostructure formations of steels by using a low energy high pulsed electron beam (LEHCPEB treatment is lightened in the case of an AISI 316L stainless steel and D2 steel. The overall results demonstrate the high potential of the LEHCPEB technique for improving the corrosion performance of steels.

Low-energy ion beam synthesis of Ag endotaxial nanostructures in silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Nagarajappa, Kiran; Guha, Puspendu; Thirumurugan, Arun; Satyam, Parlapalli V.; Bhatta, Umananda M.

2018-06-01

Coherently, embedded metal nanostructures (endotaxial) are known to have potential applications concerning the areas of plasmonics, optoelectronics and thermoelectronics. Incorporating appropriate concentrations of metal atoms into crystalline silicon is critical for these applications. Therefore, choosing proper dose of low-energy ions, instead of depositing thin film as a source of metal atoms, helps in avoiding surplus concentration of metal atoms that diffuses into the silicon crystal. In this work, 30 keV silver negative ions are implanted into a SiO x /Si(100) at two different fluences: 1 × 1015 and 2.5 × 1015 Ag- ions/cm2. Later, the samples are annealed at 700 °C for 1 h in Ar atmosphere. Embedded silver nanostructures have been characterized using planar and cross-sectional TEM (XTEM) analysis. Planar TEM analysis shows the formation of mostly rectangular silver nanostructures following the fourfold symmetry of the substrate. XTEM analysis confirms the formation of prism-shaped silver nanostructures embedded inside crystalline silicon. Endotaxial nature of the embedded crystals has been discussed using selected area electron diffraction analysis.

Nanostructures for Organic Solar Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goszczak, Arkadiusz Jarosław

2016-01-01

The experimental work in this thesis is focused on the fabrication of nanostructures that can be implemented in organic solar cell (OSC) architecture for enhancement of the device performance. Solar devices made from organic material are gaining increased attention, compared to their inorganic...... counterparts, due to the promising advantages, such as transparency, flexibility, ease of processing etc. But their efficiencies cannot be compared to the inorganic ones. Boosting the efficiency of OSCs by nanopatterning has thus been puzzling many researchers within the past years. Therefore various methods...... have been proposed to be used for developing efficient nanostructures for OSC devices such as, plasmonic structures, nanowires (NWs), gratings, nanorods etc. The nanostructuring methods applied though, do not offer the possibility of a cheap, rapid, reproducible and scalable fabrication. It is the aim...

Hierarchically nanostructured hydroxyapatite: hydrothermal synthesis, morphology control, growth mechanism, and biological activity

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Ming-Guo

2012-01-01

Hierarchically nanosized hydroxyapatite (HA) with flower-like structure assembled from nanosheets consisting of nanorod building blocks was successfully synthesized by using CaCl2, NaH2PO4, and potassium sodium tartrate via a hydrothermal method at 200°C for 24 hours. The effects of heating time and heating temperature on the products were investigated. As a chelating ligand and template molecule, the potassium sodium tartrate plays a key role in the formation of hierarchically nanostructured HA. On the basis of experimental results, a possible mechanism based on soft-template and self-assembly was proposed for the formation and growth of the hierarchically nanostructured HA. Cytotoxicity experiments indicated that the hierarchically nanostructured HA had good biocompatibility. It was shown by in-vitro experiments that mesenchymal stem cells could attach to the hierarchically nanostructured HA after being cultured for 48 hours. Objective The purpose of this study was to develop facile and effective methods for the synthesis of novel hydroxyapatite (HA) with hierarchical nanostructures assembled from independent and discrete nanobuilding blocks. Methods A simple hydrothermal approach was applied to synthesize HA by using CaCl2, NaH2PO4, and potassium sodium tartrate at 200°C for 24 hours. The cell cytotoxicity of the hierarchically nanostructured HA was tested by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Results HA displayed the flower-like structure assembled from nanosheets consisting of nanorod building blocks. The potassium sodium tartrate was used as a chelating ligand, inducing the formation and self-assembly of HA nanorods. The heating time and heating temperature influenced the aggregation and morphology of HA. The cell viability did not decrease with the increasing concentration of hierarchically nanostructured HA added. Conclusion A novel, simple and reliable hydrothermal route had been developed for the synthesis of

Metallic Nanostructures Based on DNA Nanoshapes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boxuan Shen

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Metallic nanostructures have inspired extensive research over several decades, particularly within the field of nanoelectronics and increasingly in plasmonics. Due to the limitations of conventional lithography methods, the development of bottom-up fabricated metallic nanostructures has become more and more in demand. The remarkable development of DNA-based nanostructures has provided many successful methods and realizations for these needs, such as chemical DNA metallization via seeding or ionization, as well as DNA-guided lithography and casting of metallic nanoparticles by DNA molds. These methods offer high resolution, versatility and throughput and could enable the fabrication of arbitrarily-shaped structures with a 10-nm feature size, thus bringing novel applications into view. In this review, we cover the evolution of DNA-based metallic nanostructures, starting from the metallized double-stranded DNA for electronics and progress to sophisticated plasmonic structures based on DNA origami objects.

Synthesis and characterization of noble metal–titania core–shell nanostructures with tunable shell thickness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartosz Bartosewicz

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Core–shell nanostructures have found applications in many fields, including surface enhanced spectroscopy, catalysis and solar cells. Titania-coated noble metal nanoparticles, which combine the surface plasmon resonance properties of the core and the photoactivity of the shell, have great potential for these applications. However, the controllable synthesis of such nanostructures remains a challenge due to the high reactivity of titania precursors. Hence, a simple titania coating method that would allow better control over the shell formation is desired. A sol–gel based titania coating method, which allows control over the shell thickness, was developed and applied to the synthesis of Ag@TiO2 and Au@TiO2 with various shell thicknesses. The morphology of the synthesized structures was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM. Their sizes and shell thicknesses were determined using tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS technique. The optical properties of the synthesized structures were characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy. Ag@TiO2 and Au@TiO2 structures with shell thickness in the range of ≈40–70 nm and 90 nm, for the Ag and Au nanostructures respectively, were prepared using a method we developed and adapted, consisting of a change in the titania precursor concentration. The synthesized nanostructures exhibited significant absorption in the UV–vis range. The TRPS technique was shown to be a very useful tool for the characterization of metal–metal oxide core–shell nanostructures.

Surface engineering of one-dimensional tin oxide nanostructures for chemical sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Yuanyuan; Qu, Yongquan; Zhou, Wei

2013-01-01

Nanostructured materials are promising candidates for chemical sensors due to their fascinating physicochemical properties. Among various candidates, tin oxide (SnO 2 ) has been widely explored in gas sensing elements due to its excellent chemical stability, low cost, ease of fabrication and remarkable reproducibility. We are presenting an overview on recent investigations on 1-dimensional (1D) SnO 2 nanostructures for chemical sensing. In particular, we focus on the performance of devices based on surface engineered SnO 2 nanostructures, and on aspects of morphology, size, and functionality. The synthesis and sensing mechanism of highly selective, sensitive and stable 1D nanostructures for use in chemical sensing are discussed first. This is followed by a discussion of the relationship between the surface properties of the SnO 2 layer and the sensor performance from a thermodynamic point of view. Then, the opportunities and recent progress of chemical sensors fabricated from 1D SnO 2 heterogeneous nanostructures are discussed. Finally, we summarize current challenges in terms of improving the performance of chemical (gas) sensors using such nanostructures and suggest potential applications. (author)

Nanostructured sulfur cathodes

KAUST Repository

Yang, Yuan

2013-01-01

Rechargeable Li/S batteries have attracted significant attention lately due to their high specific energy and low cost. They are promising candidates for applications, including portable electronics, electric vehicles and grid-level energy storage. However, poor cycle life and low power capability are major technical obstacles. Various nanostructured sulfur cathodes have been developed to address these issues, as they provide greater resistance to pulverization, faster reaction kinetics and better trapping of soluble polysulfides. In this review, recent developments on nanostructured sulfur cathodes and mechanisms behind their operation are presented and discussed. Moreover, progress on novel characterization of sulfur cathodes is also summarized, as it has deepened the understanding of sulfur cathodes and will guide further rational design of sulfur electrodes. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Metal nanostructures: from clusters to nanocatalysis and sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnov, B. M.

2017-12-01

The properties of metal clusters and nanostructures composed of them are reviewed. Various existing methods for the generation of intense beams of metal clusters and their subsequent conversion into nanostructures are compared. Processes of the flow of a buffer gas with active molecules through a nanostructure are analyzed as a basis of using nanostructures for catalytic applications. The propagation of an electric signal through a nanostructure is studied by analogy with a macroscopic metal. An analysis is given of how a nanostructure changes its resistance as active molecules attach to its surface and are converted into negative ions. These negative ions induce the formation of positively charged vacancies inside the metal conductor and attract the vacancies to together change the resistance of the metal nanostructure. The physical basis is considered for using metal clusters and nanostructures composed of them to create new materials in the form of a porous metal film on the surface of an object. The fundamentals of nanocatalysis are reviewed. Semiconductor conductometric sensors consisting of bound nanoscale grains or fibers acting as a conductor are compared with metal sensors conducting via a percolation cluster, a fractal fiber, or a bunch of interwoven nanofibers formed in superfluid helium. It is shown that sensors on the basis of metal nanostructures are characterized by a higher sensitivity than semiconductor ones, but are not selective. Measurements using metal sensors involve two stages, one of which measures to high precision the attachment rate of active molecules to the sensor conductor, and in the other one the surface of metal nanostructures is cleaned from the attached molecules using a gas discharge plasma (in particular, capillary discharge) with a subsequent chromatography analysis for products of cleaning.

Design and fabrication of Ni nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Sada, Takao; Fujigaya, Tsuyohiko; Nakashima, Naotoshi

2014-10-07

We propose a concept for the design and fabrication of metal nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures inside the pores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane using a sacrificial metal. In this study, nickel (Ni) and silver (Ag) were used as the base metal and the sacrificial metal, respectively. Alternating an applied potential between -0.4 and -1.0 V provided alternatively deposited Ni and Ag segments in a Ni-Ag 'barcode' nanowire with a diameter of 18 or 35 nm. After etching away the Ag segments, we fabricated Ni nanowires with nanopores of 12 ± 5.3 nm. Such nanostructure formation is explained by the formation of a Ni shell layer over the surface of the Ag segments due to the strong affinity of Ni(2+) for the interior surfaces of AAO. The Ni shell layer allows the Ni segments to remain even after dissolution of the Ag segments. Because the electroplating conditions can be easily controlled, we could carefully adjust the size and pitch of the periodically hollow nanospaces. We also describe a method for the fabrication of Ni nanorods by forming an Ag shell instead of a Ni shell on the Ni-Ag barcode nanowire, in which the interior of the AAO surfaces was modified with a compound bearing a thiol group prior to electroplating.

Synthesis and characterization of CuO flower-nanostructure processing by a domestic hydrothermal microwave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volanti, D.P.; Keyson, D.; Cavalcante, L.S.; Simoes, A.Z.; Joya, M.R.; Longo, E.; Varela, J.A.; Pizani, P.S.; Souza, A.G.

2008-01-01

The synthesis and characterization of CuO flower-nanostructure processed in domestic hydrothermal microwave oven was presented. Phase analysis was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro-Raman scattering (MRS) and the results confirmed the CuO flower-nanostructure as a single-phase. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) was used to estimate the average spheres diameter while transmission electron microscope (TEM) to observe the thorn of the flower-nanostructures. The mechanism of CuO flower-nanostructures formation is proposed and explained

Synthesis and characterization of CuO flower-nanostructure processing by a domestic hydrothermal microwave

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Volanti, D.P. [Laboratorio Interdisciplinar em Ceramica, Departamento de Fisico-Quimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, P.O. Box 355, 14801-907 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Keyson, D. [Laboratorio de Ensino de Ciencias e Laboratorio de Combustiveis e Materiais, Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal da Paraiba, 58051-900 Joao Pessoa, PB (Brazil); Cavalcante, L.S. [Laboratorio Interdisciplinar de Eletroquimica e Ceramica, Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, P.O. Box 676, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: laeciosc@bol.com.br; Simoes, A.Z. [Laboratorio Interdisciplinar em Ceramica, Departamento de Fisico-Quimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, P.O. Box 355, 14801-907 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Joya, M.R. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, P.O. Box 676, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Longo, E.; Varela, J.A. [Laboratorio Interdisciplinar em Ceramica, Departamento de Fisico-Quimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, P.O. Box 355, 14801-907 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Pizani, P.S. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, P.O. Box 676, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Souza, A.G. [Laboratorio de Ensino de Ciencias e Laboratorio de Combustiveis e Materiais, Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal da Paraiba, 58051-900 Joao Pessoa, PB (Brazil)

2008-07-14

The synthesis and characterization of CuO flower-nanostructure processed in domestic hydrothermal microwave oven was presented. Phase analysis was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro-Raman scattering (MRS) and the results confirmed the CuO flower-nanostructure as a single-phase. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) was used to estimate the average spheres diameter while transmission electron microscope (TEM) to observe the thorn of the flower-nanostructures. The mechanism of CuO flower-nanostructures formation is proposed and explained.

Template-free sonochemical synthesis of flower-like ZnO nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Huawa; Fan, Huiqing; Wang, Xin; Wang, Jing; Cheng, Pengfei; Zhang, Xiaojun

2014-01-01

Flower-like ZnO nanostructures have been successfully synthesized via a facile and template-free sonochemical method, using zinc acetate and potassium hydroxide as reactants only. The as-synthesized flower-like ZnO nanostructures were composed of nanorods with the width of ∼300–400 nm and the length of ∼2–3 μm. The structures, morphologies and optical properties of the as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry and Raman-scattering spectroscopy. A plausible formation mechanism of flower-like ZnO nanostructures was studied by SEM which monitors an intermediate morphology transformation of the product at the different ultrasonic time (t=80,90,95,105, and 120 min). - Highlights: • A facile and template-free sonochemical method to fabricate flower-like ZnO nanostructures was proposed. • The flower-like ZnO nanostructures follow the ingrowth of ZnO from the matrix of Zn(OH) 2 crystals. • The flower-like ZnO nanostructures are also expected to explore their application in the field of nano-electronic devices

Nanostructured Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sholklapper, Tal Zvi [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2007-01-01

The ability of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) to directly and efficiently convert the chemical energy in hydrocarbon fuels to electricity places the technology in a unique and exciting position to play a significant role in the clean energy revolution. In order to make SOFC technology cost competitive with existing technologies, the operating temperatures have been decreased to the range where costly ceramic components may be substituted with inexpensive metal components within the cell and stack design. However, a number of issues have arisen due to this decrease in temperature: decreased electrolyte ionic conductivity, cathode reaction rate limitations, and a decrease in anode contaminant tolerance. While the decrease in electrolyte ionic conductivities has been countered by decreasing the electrolyte thickness, the electrode limitations have remained a more difficult problem. Nanostructuring SOFC electrodes addresses the major electrode issues. The infiltration method used in this dissertation to produce nanostructure SOFC electrodes creates a connected network of nanoparticles; since the method allows for the incorporation of the nanoparticles after electrode backbone formation, previously incompatible advanced electrocatalysts can be infiltrated providing electronic conductivity and electrocatalysis within well-formed electrolyte backbones. Furthermore, the method is used to significantly enhance the conventional electrode design by adding secondary electrocatalysts. Performance enhancement and improved anode contamination tolerance are demonstrated in each of the electrodes. Additionally, cell processing and the infiltration method developed in conjunction with this dissertation are reviewed.

Effect of tempering upon the tensile properties of a nanostructured bainitic steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasan, H.S.; Peet, M.J.; Avettand-Fènoël, M-N.; Bhadeshia, H.K.D.H.

2014-01-01

The tensile properties of a nanostructured carbide-free bainitic steel formed at 200–250 °C are compared against those after tempering sufficiently to remove the retained austenite. Although significant ductility is observed following tempering, a comparison of tempered and untempered samples shows that it is in fact reduced when a comparison is made at identical strength. The shape of the stress–strain curves shows clear evidence that the capacity for work hardening is reduced with the loss of austenite. The nanostructure of the steel transformed at 250 °C is examined by transmission electron microscopy, to compare the as-transformed to the tempered structure. In this case after tempering at 500 °C the energy absorbed during the tensile test is lower, due to the lower strength. Reduction of strength is caused by the slight coarsening of the bainite plates, and lower dislocation density after tempering. Considering the formation of carbide particles in high strength steel, impressive ductility is exhibited even in the tempered condition

Effect of tempering upon the tensile properties of a nanostructured bainitic steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasan, H.S. [University of Technology, Baghdad (Iraq); Peet, M.J., E-mail: mjp54@cam.ac.uk [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom); Avettand-Fènoël, M-N. [Unité Matériaux Et Transformations (UMET) UMR CNRS 8207, Université, Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve D' ASCQ (France); Bhadeshia, H.K.D.H. [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom)

2014-10-06

The tensile properties of a nanostructured carbide-free bainitic steel formed at 200–250 °C are compared against those after tempering sufficiently to remove the retained austenite. Although significant ductility is observed following tempering, a comparison of tempered and untempered samples shows that it is in fact reduced when a comparison is made at identical strength. The shape of the stress–strain curves shows clear evidence that the capacity for work hardening is reduced with the loss of austenite. The nanostructure of the steel transformed at 250 °C is examined by transmission electron microscopy, to compare the as-transformed to the tempered structure. In this case after tempering at 500 °C the energy absorbed during the tensile test is lower, due to the lower strength. Reduction of strength is caused by the slight coarsening of the bainite plates, and lower dislocation density after tempering. Considering the formation of carbide particles in high strength steel, impressive ductility is exhibited even in the tempered condition.

Comparative study of He bubble formation in nanostructured reduced activation steel and its coarsen-grained counterpart

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, W. B.; Zhang, J. H.; Ji, Y. Z.; Xia, L. D.; Liu, H. P.; Yun, D.; He, C. H.; Zhang, C.; Yang, Z. G.

2018-03-01

High temperature (550 °C) He ions irradiation was performed on nanostructured (NS) and coarsen-grained (CG) reduced activation steel to investigate the effects of GBs/interfaces on the formation of bubbles during irradiation. Experimental results showed that He bubbles were preferentially trapped at dislocations and/or grain boundaries (GBs) for both of the samples. Void denuded zones (VDZs) were observed in the CG samples, while VDZs near GBs were unobvious in NS sample. However, both the average bubble size and the bubble density in peak damage region of the CG sample were significantly larger than that observed in the NS sample, which indicated that GBs play an important role during the irradiation, and the NS steel had better irradiation resistance than its CG counterpart.

Growth and anisotropic transport properties of self-assembled InAs nanostructures in InP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bierwagen, O.

2007-01-01

Self-assembled InAs nanostructures in InP, comprising quantum wells, quantum wires, and quantum dots, are studied in terms of their formation and properties. In particular, the structural, optical, and anisotropic transport properties of the nanostructures are investigated. The focus is a comprehending exploration of the anisotropic in-plane transport in large ensembles of laterally coupled InAs nanostructures. The self-assembled Stranski-Krastanov growth of InAs nanostructures is studied by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy on both nominally oriented and vicinal InP(001). Optical polarization of the interband transitions arising from the nanostructure type is demonstrated by photoluminescence and transmission spectroscopy. The experimentally convenient four-contact van der Pauw Hall measurement of rectangularly shaped semiconductors, usually applied to isotropic systems, is extended to yield the anisotropic transport properties. Temperature dependent transport measurements are performed in large ensembles of laterally closely spaced nanostructures. The transport of quantum wire-, quantum dash- and quantum dot containing samples is highly anisotropic with the principal axes of conductivity aligned to the directions. The direction of higher mobility is [ anti 110], which is parallel to the direction of the quantum wires. In extreme cases, the anisotropies exceed 30 for electrons, and 100 for holes. The extreme anisotropy for holes is due to diffusive transport through extended states in the [ anti 110], and hopping transport through laterally localized states in the [110] direction, within the same sample. A novel 5-terminal electronic switching device based on gate-controlled transport anisotropy is proposed. The gate-control of the transport anisotropy in modulation-doped, self-organized InAs quantum wires embedded in InP is demonstrated. (orig.)

Growth and anisotropic transport properties of self-assembled InAs nanostructures in InP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bierwagen, O.

2007-12-20

Self-assembled InAs nanostructures in InP, comprising quantum wells, quantum wires, and quantum dots, are studied in terms of their formation and properties. In particular, the structural, optical, and anisotropic transport properties of the nanostructures are investigated. The focus is a comprehending exploration of the anisotropic in-plane transport in large ensembles of laterally coupled InAs nanostructures. The self-assembled Stranski-Krastanov growth of InAs nanostructures is studied by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy on both nominally oriented and vicinal InP(001). Optical polarization of the interband transitions arising from the nanostructure type is demonstrated by photoluminescence and transmission spectroscopy. The experimentally convenient four-contact van der Pauw Hall measurement of rectangularly shaped semiconductors, usually applied to isotropic systems, is extended to yield the anisotropic transport properties. Temperature dependent transport measurements are performed in large ensembles of laterally closely spaced nanostructures. The transport of quantum wire-, quantum dash- and quantum dot containing samples is highly anisotropic with the principal axes of conductivity aligned to the <110> directions. The direction of higher mobility is [ anti 110], which is parallel to the direction of the quantum wires. In extreme cases, the anisotropies exceed 30 for electrons, and 100 for holes. The extreme anisotropy for holes is due to diffusive transport through extended states in the [ anti 110], and hopping transport through laterally localized states in the [110] direction, within the same sample. A novel 5-terminal electronic switching device based on gate-controlled transport anisotropy is proposed. The gate-control of the transport anisotropy in modulation-doped, self-organized InAs quantum wires embedded in InP is demonstrated. (orig.)

Tailoring galvanic replacement reaction for the preparation of Pt/Ag bimetallic hollow nanostructures with controlled number of voids.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Weiqing; Yang, Jizheng; Lu, Xianmao

2012-08-28

Here we report the synthesis of Pt/Ag bimetallic nanostructures with controlled number of void spaces via a tailored galvanic replacement reaction (GRR). Ag nanocubes (NCs) were employed as the template to react with Pt ions in the presence of HCl. The use of HCl in the GRR caused rapid precipitation of AgCl, which grew on the surface of Ag NCs and acted as a removable secondary template for the deposition of Pt. The number of nucleation sites for AgCl was tailored by controlling the amount of HCl added to the Ag NCs or by introducing PVP to the reaction. This strategy led to the formation of Pt/Ag hollow nanoboxes, dimers, multimers, or popcorn-shaped nanostructures consisting of one, two, or multiple hollow domains. Due to the presence of large void space and porous walls, these nanostructures exhibited high surface area and improved catalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction.

Broad range tuning of structural and optical properties of Znx Mg1−x O nanostructures grown by vapor transport method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vanjaria, Jignesh V; Azhar, Ebraheem Ali; Yu, Hongbin

2016-01-01

One-dimensional (1D) Zn x Mg 1−x O nanomaterials have drawn global attention due to their remarkable chemical and physical properties, and their diverse current and future technological applications. In this work, 1D ZnMgO nanostructures with different magnesium concentrations and different morphologies were grown directly on zinc oxide-coated silicon substrates by thermal evaporation of zinc oxide, magnesium boride and graphite powders. Highly well-defined Mg-rich ZnMgO nanorods with a rock salt structure and Zn-rich ZnMgO nanostructures with a wurtzite structure have been deposited individually by careful optimization of the source mixture and process parameters. Structural and optical properties of the deposited products were studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Cathodoluminescence measurements demonstrate strong dominant peaks at 3.3 eV in Mg poor ZnMgO nanostructures and 4.8 eV in Mg rich nanostructures implying that the ZnMgO nanostructures can be used for the fabrication of deep UV optoelectronic devices. A mechanism for the formation and achieved diverse morphology of the ZnMgO nanostructures was proposed based on the characterization results. (paper)

Matrix-assisted energy conversion in nanostructured piezoelectric arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Sirbuly, Donald J.; Wang, Xianying; Wang, Yinmin

2013-01-01

A nanoconverter is capable of directly generating electricity through a nanostructure embedded in a polymer layer experiencing differential thermal expansion in a stress transfer zone. High surface-to-volume ratio semiconductor nanowires or nanotubes (such as ZnO, silicon, carbon, etc.) are grown either aligned or substantially vertically aligned on a substrate. The resulting nanoforest is then embedded with the polymer layer, which transfers stress to the nanostructures in the stress transfer zone, thereby creating a nanostructure voltage output due to the piezoelectric effect acting on the nanostructure. Electrodes attached at both ends of the nanostructures generate output power at densities of .about.20 nW/cm.sup.2 with heating temperatures of .about.65.degree. C. Nanoconverters arrayed in a series parallel arrangement may be constructed in planar, stacked, or rolled arrays to supply power to nano- and micro-devices without use of external batteries.

Shape-specific nanostructured protein mimics from de novo designed chimeric peptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Linhai; Yang, Su; Lund, Reidar; Dong, He

2018-01-30

Natural proteins self-assemble into highly-ordered nanoscaled architectures to perform specific functions. The intricate functions of proteins have provided great impetus for researchers to develop strategies for designing and engineering synthetic nanostructures as protein mimics. Compared to the success in engineering fibrous protein mimetics, the design of discrete globular protein-like nanostructures has been challenging mainly due to the lack of precise control over geometric packing and intermolecular interactions among synthetic building blocks. In this contribution, we report an effective strategy to construct shape-specific nanostructures based on the self-assembly of chimeric peptides consisting of a coiled coil dimer and a collagen triple helix folding motif. Under salt-free conditions, we showed spontaneous self-assembly of the chimeric peptides into monodisperse, trigonal bipyramidal-like nanoparticles with precise control over the stoichiometry of two folding motifs and the geometrical arrangements relative to one another. Three coiled coil dimers are interdigitated on the equatorial plane while the two collagen triple helices are located in the axial position, perpendicular to the coiled coil plane. A detailed molecular model was proposed and further validated by small angle X-ray scattering experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The results from this study indicated that the molecular folding of each motif within the chimeric peptides and their geometric packing played important roles in the formation of discrete protein-like nanoparticles. The peptide design and self-assembly mechanism may open up new routes for the construction of highly organized, discrete self-assembling protein-like nanostructures with greater levels of control over assembly accuracy.

Bottom-Up Synthesis and Sensor Applications of Biomimetic Nanostructures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Wang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The combination of nanotechnology, biology, and bioengineering greatly improved the developments of nanomaterials with unique functions and properties. Biomolecules as the nanoscale building blocks play very important roles for the final formation of functional nanostructures. Many kinds of novel nanostructures have been created by using the bioinspired self-assembly and subsequent binding with various nanoparticles. In this review, we summarized the studies on the fabrications and sensor applications of biomimetic nanostructures. The strategies for creating different bottom-up nanostructures by using biomolecules like DNA, protein, peptide, and virus, as well as microorganisms like bacteria and plant leaf are introduced. In addition, the potential applications of the synthesized biomimetic nanostructures for colorimetry, fluorescence, surface plasmon resonance, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, electrical resistance, electrochemistry, and quartz crystal microbalance sensors are presented. This review will promote the understanding of relationships between biomolecules/microorganisms and functional nanomaterials in one way, and in another way it will guide the design and synthesis of biomimetic nanomaterials with unique properties in the future.

Formation of rod-like nanostructure by aggregation of TiO2 ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

rod-like nanoparticle aggregates was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue ... Rod-like nanostructure; aligned nanoparticle aggregates; photocatalytic activity; antibacterial ... bioactive and electrical properties by effective utilization of light. Further TiO2 ... contact with microorganism as antimicrobial nanomaterials,.

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A.; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-03-01

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser-plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck.

Free-volume characterization of nanostructurized substances by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Shpotyuk, O.; Ingram, A.; Shpotyuk, Ya.

2018-02-01

Methodological possibilities of positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy are examined to parameterize free-volume structural evolution processes in some nanostructurized substances obeying conversion from positronium (Ps) decaying to positron trapping. Unlike conventional x3-term fitting analysis based on admixed positron trapping and Ps decaying, the effect of nanostructurization is considered as occurring due to conversion from preferential Ps decaying in initial host matrix to positron trapping in modified (nanostructurized) host-guest matrix. The developed approach referred to as x3-x2-CDA (coupling decomposition algorithm) allows estimation defect-free bulk and defect-specific positron lifetimes of free-volume elements responsible for nanostructurization. The applicability of this approach is proved for some nanostructurized materials allowing free-volume changes through Ps-to-positron trapping conversion, such as (i) metallic Ag nanoparticles embedded in polymer matrix, (ii) structure-modification processes caused by swift heavy ions irradiation in polystyrene, and (iii) host-guest chemistry problems like water immersion in alumomagnesium spinel ceramics. This approach is considered to be used as test-indicator, separating processes of host-matrix nanostructurization due to embedded nanoparticles from uncorrelated changes in positron-trapping and Ps-decaying channels.

Self-organised synthesis of Rh nanostructures with tunable chemical reactivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lizzit S

2007-01-01

Full Text Available AbstractNonequilibrium periodic nanostructures such as nanoscale ripples, mounds and rhomboidal pyramids formed on Rh(110 are particularly interesting as candidate model systems with enhanced catalytic reactivity, since they are endowed with steep facets running along nonequilibrium low-symmetry directions, exposing a high density of undercoordinated atoms. In this review we report on the formation of these novel nanostructured surfaces, a kinetic process which can be controlled by changing parameters such as temperature, sputtering ion flux and energy. The role of surface morphology with respect to chemical reactivity is investigated by analysing the carbon monoxide dissociation probability on the different nanostructured surfaces.

Vortex ice in nanostructured superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reichhardt, Charles [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Reichhardt, Cynthia J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Libal, Andras J [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2008-01-01

We demonstrate using numerical simulations of nanostructured superconductors that it is possible to realize vortex ice states that are analogous to square and kagome ice. The system can be brought into a state that obeys either global or local ice rules by applying an external current according to an annealing protocol. We explore the breakdown of the ice rules due to disorder in the nanostructure array and show that in square ice, topological defects appear along grain boundaries, while in kagome ice, individual defects appear. We argue that the vortex system offers significant advantages over other artificial ice systems.

Fabrication of nano-structured UO2 fuel pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Jae Ho; Kang, Ki Won; Rhee, Young Woo; Kim, Dong Joo; Kim, Jong Heon; Kim, Keon Sik; Song, Kun Woo

2007-01-01

Nano-structured materials have received much attention for their possibility for various functional materials. Ceramics with a nano-structured grain have some special properties such as super plasticity and a low sintering temperature. To reduce the fuel cycle costs and the total mass of spent LWR fuels, it is necessary to extend the fuel discharged burn-up. In order to increase the fuel burn-up, it is important to understand the fuel property of a highly irradiated fuel pellet. Especially, research has focused on the formation of a porous and small grained microstructure in the rim area of the fuel, called High Burn-up Structure (HBS). The average grain size of HBS is about 300nm. This paper deals with the feasibility study on the fabrication of nano-structured UO 2 pellets. The nano sized UO 2 particles are prepared by a combined process of a oxidation-reducing and a mechanical milling of UO 2 powder. Nano-structured UO 2 pellets (∼300nm) with a density of ∼93%TD can be obtained by sintering nano-sized UO 2 compacts. The SEM study reveals that the microstructure of the fabricated nano-structure UO 2 pellet is similar to that of HBS. Therefore, this bulk nano-structured UO 2 pellet can be used as a reference pellet for a measurement of the physical properties of HBS

Study of the phase composition of nanostructures produced by the local anodic oxidation of titanium films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avilov, V. I.; Ageev, O. A.; Konoplev, B. G.; Smirnov, V. A.; Solodovnik, M. S.; Tsukanova, O. G.

2016-01-01

The results of experimental studies of the phase composition of oxide nanostructures formed by the local anodic oxidation of a titanium thin film are reported. The data of the phase analysis of titanium-oxide nanostructures are obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the ion profiling mode of measurements. It is established that the surface of titanium-oxide nanostructures 4.5 ± 0.2 nm in height possesses a binding energy of core levels characteristic of TiO_2 (458.4 eV). By analyzing the titanium-oxide nanostructures in depth by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the formation of phases with binding energies of core levels characteristic of Ti_2O_3 (456.6 eV) and TiO (454.8 eV) is established. The results can be used in developing the technological processes of the formation of a future electronic-component base for nanoelectronics on the basis of titanium-oxide nanostructures and probe nanotechnologies.

Hierarchically nanostructured hydroxyapatite: hydrothermal synthesis, morphology control, growth mechanism, and biological activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma MG

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Ming-Guo MaInstitute of Biomass Chemistry and Technology, College of Materials Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaAbstract: Hierarchically nanosized hydroxyapatite (HA with flower-like structure assembled from nanosheets consisting of nanorod building blocks was successfully synthesized by using CaCl2, NaH2PO4, and potassium sodium tartrate via a hydrothermal method at 200°C for 24 hours. The effects of heating time and heating temperature on the products were investigated. As a chelating ligand and template molecule, the potassium sodium tartrate plays a key role in the formation of hierarchically nanostructured HA. On the basis of experimental results, a possible mechanism based on soft-template and self-assembly was proposed for the formation and growth of the hierarchically nanostructured HA. Cytotoxicity experiments indicated that the hierarchically nanostructured HA had good biocompatibility. It was shown by in-vitro experiments that mesenchymal stem cells could attach to the hierarchically nanostructured HA after being cultured for 48 hours.Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop facile and effective methods for the synthesis of novel hydroxyapatite (HA with hierarchical nanostructures assembled from independent and discrete nanobuilding blocks.Methods: A simple hydrothermal approach was applied to synthesize HA by using CaCl2, NaH2PO4, and potassium sodium tartrate at 200°C for 24 hours. The cell cytotoxicity of the hierarchically nanostructured HA was tested by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay.Results: HA displayed the flower-like structure assembled from nanosheets consisting of nanorod building blocks. The potassium sodium tartrate was used as a chelating ligand, inducing the formation and self-assembly of HA nanorods. The heating time and heating temperature influenced the aggregation and morphology of HA. The cell viability did

Multifunctional Carbon Nanostructures for Advanced Energy Storage Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiran Wang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Carbon nanostructures—including graphene, fullerenes, etc.—have found applications in a number of areas synergistically with a number of other materials. These multifunctional carbon nanostructures have recently attracted tremendous interest for energy storage applications due to their large aspect ratios, specific surface areas, and electrical conductivity. This succinct review aims to report on the recent advances in energy storage applications involving these multifunctional carbon nanostructures. The advanced design and testing of multifunctional carbon nanostructures for energy storage applications—specifically, electrochemical capacitors, lithium ion batteries, and fuel cells—are emphasized with comprehensive examples.

Leafy nanostructure PANI for material of supercapacitors

OpenAIRE

XI Dong; CHEN Xinman

2013-01-01

Nanostructure conducting polyaniline(PANI) has great potential applications in supercapacitor electrode materials.In this paper,we report a template-free approach to synthesize PANI by a galvanostatic current procedure with a three-electrode configuration directly on indium-doped tin-oxide substrates (ITO).The morphology of product was characterized by Hitachi S-4800 field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM).Due to the nanostructure,the specific capacitance of PANI film with the th...

Molecular dynamics simulation of carbon nanostructures: The C60 buckminsterfullerene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laszlo, Istvan; Zsoldos, Ibolya

2012-01-01

Molecular dynamics calculations can reveal the physical and chemical properties of various carbon nanostructures or can help to devise the possible formation pathways. In our days the most well-known carbon nanostructures are the fullerenes, the nanotubes, and the graphene. The fullerenes and nanotubes can be thought of as being formed from graphene sheets, i.e., single layers of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. Usually the nature does not follow the mathematical constructions. Although the first time the C 60 and the C 70 were produced by laser irradiated graphite, the fullerene formation theories are based on various fragments of carbon chains and networks of pentagonal and hexagonal rings. In the present article various formation pathways for the buckminsterfullerene C 60 molecule will be presented. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Analytic device including nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Di Fabrizio, Enzo M.; Fratalocchi, Andrea; Totero Gongora, Juan Sebastian; Coluccio, Maria Laura; Candeloro, Patrizio; Cuda, Gianni

2015-01-01

A device for detecting an analyte in a sample comprising: an array including a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a nanochain comprising: a first nanostructure, a second nanostructure, and a third nanostructure, wherein size of the first nanostructure is larger than that of the second nanostructure, and size of the second nanostructure is larger than that of the third nanostructure, and wherein the first nanostructure, the second nanostructure, and the third nanostructure are positioned on a substrate such that when the nanochain is excited by an energy, an optical field between the second nanostructure and the third nanostructure is stronger than an optical field between the first nanostructure and the second nanostructure, wherein the array is configured to receive a sample; and a detector arranged to collect spectral data from a plurality of pixels of the array.

Si nanostructures grown by picosecond high repetition rate pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pervolaraki, M.; Komninou, Ph.; Kioseoglou, J.; Athanasopoulos, G.I.; Giapintzakis, J.

2013-01-01

One-step growth of n-doped Si nanostructures by picosecond ultra fast pulsed laser deposition at 1064 nm is reported for the first time. The structure and morphology of the Si nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that the shape of the Si nanostructures depends on the ambient argon pressure. Fibrous networks, cauliflower formations and Si rectangular crystals grew when argon pressure of 300 Pa, 30 Pa and vacuum (10 −3 Pa) conditions were used, respectively. In addition, the electrical resistance of the vacuum made material was investigated

Si nanostructures grown by picosecond high repetition rate pulsed laser deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pervolaraki, M., E-mail: pervolaraki@ucy.ac.cy [Nanotechnology Research Center and Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, 75 Kallipoleos Av., PO Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia (Cyprus); Komninou, Ph.; Kioseoglou, J. [Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece); Athanasopoulos, G.I. [Nanotechnology Research Center and Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, 75 Kallipoleos Av., PO Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia (Cyprus); Giapintzakis, J., E-mail: giapintz@ucy.ac.cy [Nanotechnology Research Center and Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, 75 Kallipoleos Av., PO Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia (Cyprus)

2013-08-01

One-step growth of n-doped Si nanostructures by picosecond ultra fast pulsed laser deposition at 1064 nm is reported for the first time. The structure and morphology of the Si nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that the shape of the Si nanostructures depends on the ambient argon pressure. Fibrous networks, cauliflower formations and Si rectangular crystals grew when argon pressure of 300 Pa, 30 Pa and vacuum (10{sup −3} Pa) conditions were used, respectively. In addition, the electrical resistance of the vacuum made material was investigated.

The effect of Ce ion substituted OMS-2 nanostructure in catalytic activity for benzene oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Jingtao; Li, Yuanzhi; Mao, Mingyang; Zhao, Xiujian; Yue, Yuanzheng

2014-11-01

The nanostructure of Ce doped OMS-2 plays a very important role in its catalytic property. We demonstrate by density functional theory (DFT) calculations that the unique nanostructure of the Ce ion substituted OMS-2 with Mn vacancy in the framework is beneficial for the improvement of catalytic activity, while the nanostructure of the Ce ion substituted OMS-2 without defects are detrimental to the catalytic activity. We establish a novel and facile strategy of synthesizing these unique Ce ion substituted OMS-2 nanostructure with Mn vacancies in the framework by hydrothermal redox reaction between Ce(NO3)3 and KMnO4 with KMnO4/Ce(NO3)3 at a molar ratio of 3 : 1 at 120 °C. Compared to pure OMS-2, the produced catalyst of Ce ion substituted OMS-2 ultrathin nanorods exhibits an enormous enhancement in the catalytic activity for benzene oxidation, which is evidenced by a significant decrease (ΔT50 = 100 °C, ΔT90 = 129 °C) in the reaction temperature of T50 and T90 (corresponding to the benzene conversion = 50% and 90%), which is considerably more efficient than the expensive supported noble metal catalyst (Pt/Al2O3). We combine both theoretical and experimental evidence to provide a new physical insight into the significant effect due to the defects induced by the Ce ion substitution on the catalytic activity of OMS-2. The formation of unique Ce ion substituted OMS-2 nanostructure with Mn vacancies in the framework leads to a significant enhancement of the lattice oxygen activity, thus tremendously increasing the catalytic activity.The nanostructure of Ce doped OMS-2 plays a very important role in its catalytic property. We demonstrate by density functional theory (DFT) calculations that the unique nanostructure of the Ce ion substituted OMS-2 with Mn vacancy in the framework is beneficial for the improvement of catalytic activity, while the nanostructure of the Ce ion substituted OMS-2 without defects are detrimental to the catalytic activity. We establish a novel

Supercapacitive properties of hydrothermally synthesized sphere like MoS2 nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnamoorthy, Karthikeyan; Veerasubramani, Ganesh Kumar; Radhakrishnan, Sivaprakasam; Kim, Sang Jae

2014-01-01

Highlights: • MoS 2 nanostructures were synthesized by hydrothermal method. • Randomly stacked MoS 2 was obtained. • FE-SEM studies show the sphere like morphology of MoS 2 . • Specific capacitance of 92.85 F/g was achieved using charge–discharge analysis. • MoS 2 electrode shows capacitance retention of about 93.8% after 1000 cycles. - Abstract: In this communication, we have investigated the supercapacitive behaviour of MoS 2 nanostructures prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal approach using ammonium heptamolybdate and thiourea as starting materials. The X-ray diffraction study revealed the formation of randomly stacked layers of MoS 2 . The field-emission scanning electron microscope studies suggested the formation of sphere like MoS 2 nanostructures and a plausible mechanism for the formation of the obtained structure is discussed. The cyclic voltammetry study shows the typical rectangular shaped curves with a specific capacitance of 106 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. Galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements suggested the maximum specific capacitance of about 92.85 F/g at discharge current density of 0.5 mA/cm 2 . Cyclic stability tests revealed the capacitance retention of about 93.8% after 1000 cycles suggesting a good cyclic capacity of the prepared MoS 2 . The electrochemical impedance spectroscopic results such as Nyquist and Bode phase angle plots suggested that the hydrothermally synthesized MoS 2 nanostructures will be a suitable candidate for electrochemical supercapacitor applications

Ion beam induced optical and surface modification in plasmonic nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Udai B., E-mail: udaibhansingh123@gmail.com; Gautam, Subodh K.; Kumar, Sunil; Hooda, Sonu; Ojha, Sunil; Singh, Fouran

2016-07-15

In present work, ion irradiation induced nanostructuring has been exploited as an efficient and effective tool for synthesis of coupled plasmonics nanostructures by using 1.2 MeV Xe ions on Au/ZnO/Au system deposited on glass substrate. The results are correlated on the basis of their optical absorption, surface morphologies and enhanced sensitivity of evolved phonon modes by using UV Visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy (RS), respectively. Optical absorbance spectra of plasmonic nanostructures (NSs) show a decrease in band gap, which may be ascribed to the formation of defects with ion irradiation. The surface morphology reveals the formation of percolated NSs upon ion irradiation and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) study clearly shows the formation of multilayer system. Furthermore, RS measurements on samples are studied to understand the enhanced sensitivity of ion irradiation induced phonon mode at 573 cm{sup −1} along with other modes. As compared to pristine sample, a stronger and pronounced evolution of these phonon modes is observed with further ion irradiation, which indicates localized surface plasmon results with enhanced intensity of phonon modes of Zinc oxide (ZnO) material. Thus, such plasmonic NSs can be used as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates.

Template-free sonochemical synthesis of flower-like ZnO nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Huawa [State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an 710072 (China); School of Science, Xi' an Polytechnic University, Xi' an 710048 (China); Fan, Huiqing, E-mail: hqfan3@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an 710072 (China); Wang, Xin [Shaanxi Province Thin Film Technology and Optical Test Open Key Laboratory, School of Photoelectrical Engineering, Xi' an Technological University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Wang, Jing [State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an 710072 (China); Cheng, Pengfei; Zhang, Xiaojun [School of Science, Xi' an Polytechnic University, Xi' an 710048 (China)

2014-10-03

Flower-like ZnO nanostructures have been successfully synthesized via a facile and template-free sonochemical method, using zinc acetate and potassium hydroxide as reactants only. The as-synthesized flower-like ZnO nanostructures were composed of nanorods with the width of ∼300–400 nm and the length of ∼2–3 μm. The structures, morphologies and optical properties of the as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry and Raman-scattering spectroscopy. A plausible formation mechanism of flower-like ZnO nanostructures was studied by SEM which monitors an intermediate morphology transformation of the product at the different ultrasonic time (t=80,90,95,105, and 120 min). - Highlights: • A facile and template-free sonochemical method to fabricate flower-like ZnO nanostructures was proposed. • The flower-like ZnO nanostructures follow the ingrowth of ZnO from the matrix of Zn(OH){sub 2} crystals. • The flower-like ZnO nanostructures are also expected to explore their application in the field of nano-electronic devices.

Plasmonic nanostructures for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ruiqian

In the last three decades, a large number of different plasmonic nanostructures have attracted much attention due to their unique optical properties. Those plasmonic nanostructures include nanoparticles, nanoholes and metal nanovoids. They have been widely utilized in optical devices and sensors. When the plasmonic nanostructures interact with the electromagnetic wave and their surface plasmon frequency match with the light frequency, the electrons in plasmonic nanostructures will resonate with the same oscillation as incident light. In this case, the plasmonic nanostructures can absorb light and enhance the light scattering. Therefore, the plasmonic nanostructures can be used as substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to enhance the Raman signal. Using plasmonic nanostructures can significantly enhance Raman scattering of molecules with very low concentrations. In this thesis, two different plasmonic nanostructures Ag dendrites and Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles are investigated. Simple methods were used to produce these two plasmonic nanostructures. Then, their applications in surface enhanced Raman scattering have been explored. Ag dendrites were produced by galvanic replacement reaction, which was conducted using Ag nitrate aqueous solution and copper metal. Metal copper layer was deposited at the bottom side of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane. Silver wires formed inside AAO channels connected Ag nitrate on the top of AAO membrane and copper layer at the bottom side of AAO. Silver dendrites were formed on the top side of AAO. The second plasmonic nanostructure is Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles. They were fabricated by electroless plating (galvanic replacement) reaction in a silver plating solution. First, electrochemically evolved hydrogen bubbles were used as template through electroless deposition to produce hollow Au nanoparticles. Then, the Au nanoparticles were coated with Cu shells in a Cu plating solution. In the following step, a Ag

Morphology and thermodynamic characteristics of selenium-containing nanostructures based on polymethacrylic acid

Science.gov (United States)

Valueva, S. V.; Borovikova, L. N.; Vylegzhanina, M. E.; Sukhanova, T. E.

2010-09-01

The morphology and thermodynamic characteristics of nanostructures formed as a result of the reduction of the selenium ion in a selenite-ascorbate redox system in water solutions of polymethacrylic acid were studied by molecular optics and atomic-force microscopy. The dependence of the morphology of the selenium-containing nanostructures on the mass selenium-to-polymer ratio (ν) in solution was determined. It was established that a large number of macromolecules (up to 4300) is adsorbed on the selenium nanoparticles, leading to the formation of nanostructures with super-high molecular mass and an almost spherical form. It was shown that the density of the nanostructures, as calculated on the basis of the experimental data on the size and molecular mass of the nanocomposite, depends substantially on the selenium concentrations in the solution. The thermodynamic state of the solutions of nanostructures is described.

Manganese Nanostructures and Magnetism

Science.gov (United States)

Simov, Kirie Rangelov

The primary goal of this study is to incorporate adatoms with large magnetic moment, such as Mn, into two technologically significant group IV semiconductor (SC) matrices, e.g. Si and Ge. For the first time in the world, we experimentally demonstrate Mn doping by embedding nanostructured thin layers, i.e. delta-doping. The growth is observed by in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), which combines topographic and electronic information in a single image. We investigate the initial stages of Mn monolayer growth on a Si(100)(2x1) surface reconstruction, develop methods for classification of nanostructure types for a range of surface defect concentrations (1.0 to 18.2%), and subsequently encapsulate the thin Mn layer in a SC matrix. These experiments are instrumental in generating a surface processing diagram for self-assembly of monoatomic Mn-wires. The role of surface vacancies has also been studied by kinetic Monte Carlo modeling and the experimental observations are compared with the simulation results, leading to the conclusion that Si(100)(2x1) vacancies serve as nucleation centers in the Mn-Si system. Oxide formation, which happens readily in air, is detrimental to ferromagnetism and lessens the magnetic properties of the nanostructures. Therefore, the protective SC cap, composed of either Si or Ge, serves a dual purpose: it is both the embedding matrix for the Mn nanostructured thin film and a protective agent for oxidation. STM observations of partially deposited caps ensure that the nanostructures remain intact during growth. Lastly, the relationship between magnetism and nanostructure types is established by an in-depth study using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). This sensitive method detects signals even at coverages less than one atomic layer of Mn. XMCD is capable of discerning which chemical compounds contribute to the magnetic moment of the system, and provides a ratio between the orbital and spin contributions. Depending on the amount

Facile synthesis of Zn doped CuO hierarchical nanostructures: Structural, optical and antibacterial properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javed Iqbal

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ZnxCu1−xO (where x= 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.1 mol% hierarchical nanostructures have been prepared via soft chemical route. X-ray diffraction (XRD results of the synthesized samples reveal the monoclinic structure of CuO without any impurity related phases. The micro-structural parameters such as crystallite size and microstrain have been strongly influenced by Zn doping. Scanning electron microscope (SEM analyses depict the formation of hierarchical nanostructures having average particle size in the range of 26-43 nm. The surface area of CuO nanostructures has been reduced systematically with the increase in Zn content which is linked with the variations in particle size. An obvious decrease in the optical band gap energy of the synthesized CuO hierarchical nanostructures has been observed with Zn doping which is assigned to the formation of shallow levels in the band gap of CuO and combined transition from oxygen 2p states to d sates of Cu and Zn ions. The bactericidal potency of the CuO hierarchical nanostructures have been found to be enhanced remarkably with Zn doping.

Facile synthesis of Zn doped CuO hierarchical nanostructures: Structural, optical and antibacterial properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iqbal, Javed, E-mail: tariqjan84@gmail.com, E-mail: javed.suggau@iiu.edu.pk; Jan, Tariq, E-mail: tariqjan84@gmail.com, E-mail: javed.suggau@iiu.edu.pk; Ul-Hassan, Sibt; Umair Ali, M.; Abbas, Fazal [Laboratory of Nanoscience and Technology, Department of Physics, International Islamic University, H-10, Islamabad (Pakistan); Ahmed, Ishaq [Experimental Physics Labs, National Center for Physics, Islamabad (Pakistan); Mansoor, Qaisar; Ismail, Muhammad [Institute of Biomedical and Genetic Engineering (IBGE), Islamabad (Pakistan)

2015-12-15

Zn{sub x}Cu{sub 1−x}O (where x= 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.1 mol%) hierarchical nanostructures have been prepared via soft chemical route. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results of the synthesized samples reveal the monoclinic structure of CuO without any impurity related phases. The micro-structural parameters such as crystallite size and microstrain have been strongly influenced by Zn doping. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses depict the formation of hierarchical nanostructures having average particle size in the range of 26-43 nm. The surface area of CuO nanostructures has been reduced systematically with the increase in Zn content which is linked with the variations in particle size. An obvious decrease in the optical band gap energy of the synthesized CuO hierarchical nanostructures has been observed with Zn doping which is assigned to the formation of shallow levels in the band gap of CuO and combined transition from oxygen 2p states to d sates of Cu and Zn ions. The bactericidal potency of the CuO hierarchical nanostructures have been found to be enhanced remarkably with Zn doping.

Thermoelectric effects in magnetic nanostructures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hatami, Moosa; Bauer, Gerrit E.W.; Zhang, Q.F.; Kelly, Paul J.

2009-01-01

We model and evaluate the Peltier and Seebeck effects in magnetic multilayer nanostructures by a finite-element theory of thermoelectric properties. We present analytical expressions for the thermopower and the current-induced temperature changes due to Peltier cooling/heating. The thermopower of a

pH-regulated antimony oxychloride nanoparticle formation on titanium oxide nanostructures: a photocatalytically active heterojunction

KAUST Repository

Buchholcz, Balázs

2017-02-06

Improving the catalytic activity of heterogeneous photocatalysts has become a hot topic recently. To this end, considerable progress has been made in the efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers by e.g. the realization of heterojunction photocatalysts. V-VI-VII compound semiconductors, namely, bismuth oxyhalides, are popular photocatalysts. However, results on antimony oxyhalides [SbOX (X = Br, Cl, I)], the very promising alternatives to the well-known BiOX photomodifiers, are scarce. Here, we report the successful decoration of titanium oxide nanostructures with 8-11 nm diameter SbOX nanoparticles for the first time ever. The product size and stoichiometry could be controlled by the pH of the reactant mixture, while subsequent calcination could transform the structure of the titanate nanotube (TiONT) support and the prepared antimony oxychloride particles. In contrast to the ease of composite formation in the SbOX/TiONT case, anatase TiO could not facilitate the formation of antimony oxychloride nanoparticles on its surface. The titanate nanotube-based composites showed activity in a generally accepted quasi-standard photocatalytic test reaction (methyl orange dye decolorization). We found that the SbOCl/TiONT synthesized at pH = 1 is the most active sample in a broad temperature range.

Mn-silicide nanostructures aligned on massively parallel silicon nano-ribbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Padova, Paola; Ottaviani, Carlo; Ronci, Fabio; Colonna, Stefano; Quaresima, Claudio; Cricenti, Antonio; Olivieri, Bruno; Dávila, Maria E; Hennies, Franz; Pietzsch, Annette; Shariati, Nina; Le Lay, Guy

2013-01-01

The growth of Mn nanostructures on a 1D grating of silicon nano-ribbons is investigated at atomic scale by means of scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction and core level photoelectron spectroscopy. The grating of silicon nano-ribbons represents an atomic scale template that can be used in a surface-driven route to control the combination of Si with Mn in the development of novel materials for spintronics devices. The Mn atoms show a preferential adsorption site on silicon atoms, forming one-dimensional nanostructures. They are parallel oriented with respect to the surface Si array, which probably predetermines the diffusion pathways of the Mn atoms during the process of nanostructure formation.

Highly-Ordered Magnetic Nanostructures on Self-Assembled α-Al2O3 and Diblock Copolymer Templates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erb, Denise

2015-08-01

This thesis shows the preparation of nanostructured systems with a high degree of morphological uniformity and regularity employing exclusively selfassembly processes, and documents the investigation of these systems by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), and nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation (NRS). Whenever possible, the X-ray scattering methods are applied in-situ and simultaneously in order to monitor and correlate the evolution of structural and magnetic properties of the nanostructured systems. The following systems are discussed, where highly-ordered magnetic nanostructures are grown on α-Al 2 O 3 substrates with topographical surface patterning and on diblock copolymer templates with chemical surface patterning: - Nanofaceted surfaces of α-Al 2 O 3 - Magnetic nanostructures on nanofaceted α-Al 2 O 3 substrates - Thin films of microphase separated diblock copolymers - Magnetic nanostructures on diblock copolymer thin film templates The fact that the underlying self-assembly processes can be steered by external factors is utilized to optimize the degree of structural order in the nanostructured systems. The highly-ordered systems are well-suited for investigations with X-ray scattering methods, since due to their uniformity the inherently averaged scattered signal of a sample yields meaningful information on the properties of the contained nanostructures: By means of an in-situ GISAXS experiment at temperatures above 1000 C, details on the facet formation on α-Al 2 O 3 surfaces are determined. A novel method, merging in-situ GISAXS and NRS, shows the evolution of magnetic states in a system with correlated structural and magnetic inhomogeneity with lateral resolution. The temperature-dependence of the shape of Fe nanodots growing on diblock copolymer templates is revealed by in-situ GISAXS during sputter deposition of Fe. Combining in-situ GISAXS and NRS, the magnetization

In situ controlled synthesis of various TiO2 nanostructured materials via a facile hydrothermal route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Hai; Liu Yong; Zhong Minyi; Xu Hongmei; Huang Hong; Shen Hui

2011-01-01

Various TiO 2 nanomaterials, such as nanosheets, nanoflowers, and nanowires were directly self assembled on titanium substrate on a large scale under hydrothermal conditions. The morphology of the formed TiO 2 nanomaterials could be easily tuned by varying the experimental parameters of temperature, reaction time, and the NaOH concentration. A possible formation mechanism was suggested on the basis of the shape evolution of TiO 2 nanostructures by SEM images in combination with XRD patterns of as-grown samples. The optical properties of TiO 2 nanosheets, nanoflowers, and nanowires were characterized by reflectance spectroscopy. The studies revealed that the absorption capability of visible light is obviously different for TiO 2 with different morphologies. Moreover, TiO 2 nanosheets exhibited better light trapping than TiO 2 nanoflowers and TiO 2 nanowires due to their unique nanostructure.

Nanostructure of Cationic Polymer Brush at the Air/Water Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matsuoka Hideki

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Cationic amphiphilic diblock copolymers were synthesized by RAFT polymerization and the nanostructure of their monolayers was investigated by π-A isotherm and X-ray reflectivity. Carpet layer (dense hydrophilic block layer formation under the hydrophobic layer was confirmed and a “brush” layer was found beneath the carpet layer. However, the thickness of brush layer was much thinner than that of the fully-stretched chain length. The critical salt concentration was found to be 0.01 M NaCl, which is much lower than that of the previous strongly anionic brush. These differences were probably caused by the low effective charge on the brush chains due to the hydrophobic nature of the quarternized ammonium cation.

Electric field distribution and simulation of avalanche formation due ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Electric field distributions and their role in the formation of avalanche due to the passage of heavy ions in parallel grid avalanche type wire chamber detectors are evaluated using a Monte Carlo simulation. The relative merits and demerits of parallel and crossed wire grid configurations are studied. It is found that the crossed ...

Self-organized synthesis of silver dendritic nanostructures via an electroless metal deposition method

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, T.; Wu, X. L.; Mei, Y. F.; Chu, P. K.; Siu, G. G.

2005-09-01

Unique silver dendritic nanostructures, with stems, branches, and leaves, were synthesized with self-organization via a simple electroless metal deposition method in a conventional autoclave containing aqueous HF and AgNO3 solution. Their growth mechanisms are discussed in detail on the basis of a self-assembled localized microscopic electrochemical cell model. A process of diffusion-limited aggregation is suggested for the formation of the silver dendritic nanostructures. This nanostructured material is of great potential to be building blocks for assembling mini-functional devices of the next generation.

Emerging advances in nanomedicine with engineered gold nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Joseph A; Bardhan, Rizia

2014-03-07

Gold nanostructures possess unique characteristics that enable their use as contrast agents, as therapeutic entities, and as scaffolds to adhere functional molecules, therapeutic cargo, and targeting ligands. Due to their ease of synthesis, straightforward surface functionalization, and non-toxicity, gold nanostructures have emerged as powerful nanoagents for cancer detection and treatment. This comprehensive review summarizes the progress made in nanomedicine with gold nanostructures (1) as probes for various bioimaging techniques including dark-field, one-photon and two-photon fluorescence, photothermal optical coherence tomography, photoacoustic tomography, positron emission tomography, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering based imaging, (2) as therapeutic components for photothermal therapy, gene and drug delivery, and radiofrequency ablation, and (3) as a theranostic platform to simultaneously achieve both cancer detection and treatment. Distinct from other published reviews, this article also discusses the recent advances of gold nanostructures as contrast agents and therapeutic actuators for inflammatory diseases including atherosclerotic plaque and arthritis. For each of the topics discussed above, the fundamental principles and progress made in the past five years are discussed. The review concludes with a detailed future outlook discussing the challenges in using gold nanostructures, cellular trafficking, and translational considerations that are imperative for rapid clinical viability of plasmonic nanostructures, as well as the significance of emerging technologies such as Fano resonant gold nanostructures in nanomedicine.

DNA origami compliant nanostructures with tunable mechanical properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lifeng; Marras, Alexander E; Su, Hai-Jun; Castro, Carlos E

2014-01-28

DNA origami enables fabrication of precise nanostructures by programming the self-assembly of DNA. While this approach has been used to make a variety of complex 2D and 3D objects, the mechanical functionality of these structures is limited due to their rigid nature. We explore the fabrication of deformable, or compliant, objects to establish a framework for mechanically functional nanostructures. This compliant design approach is used in macroscopic engineering to make devices including sensors, actuators, and robots. We build compliant nanostructures by utilizing the entropic elasticity of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) to locally bend bundles of double-stranded DNA into bent geometries whose curvature and mechanical properties can be tuned by controlling the length of ssDNA strands. We demonstrate an ability to achieve a wide range of geometries by adjusting a few strands in the nanostructure design. We further developed a mechanical model to predict both geometry and mechanical properties of our compliant nanostructures that agrees well with experiments. Our results provide a basis for the design of mechanically functional DNA origami devices and materials.

Study of Growth Kinetics in One Dimensional and Two Dimensional ZnO Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Xin

Because of the merits arising from the unique geometry, nanostructure materials have been an essential class of materials, which have shown great potentials in the fields of electronics, photonics, and biology. With various nanostructures being intensively investigated and successfully complemented into device applications, there has been one increasing demand to the investigation of the growth mechanism devoted to the controlled nanostructure synthesis. Motivated by this situation, this thesis is focused on the fundamental understanding of the nanostructure growth. Specifically, by taking zinc oxide as an example material, through controlling the basic driving force, that is, the supersaturation, I have rationally designed and synthesized various of nanostructures, and further applied the classical layer-by-layer growth mechanism to the understanding on the formation of these nanostructures, they are, the convex-plate-capped nanowires, the concave-plate-capped nanowires, the facet evolution at the tip of the nanowires, and the ultrathin 2D nanosheets.

Mesoporous magnetic secondary nanostructures as versatile adsorbent for efficient scavenging of heavy metals

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Kakoli; Parasar, Devaborniny; Mondal, Bholanath; Deb, Pritam

2015-01-01

Porous magnetic secondary nanostructures exhibit high surface area because of the presence of plentiful interparticle spaces or pores. Mesoporous Fe3O4 secondary nanostructures (MFSNs) have been studied here as versatile adsorbent for heavy metal scavenging. The porosity combined with magnetic functionality of the secondary nanostructures has facilitated efficient heavy metal (As, Cu and Cd) remediation from water solution within a short period of contact time. It is because of the larger surface area of MFSNs due to the porous network in addition to primary nanostructures which provides abundant adsorption sites facilitating high adsorption of the heavy metal ions. The brilliance of adsorption property of MFSNs has been realized through comprehensive adsorption studies and detailed kinetics. Due to their larger dimension, MFSNs help in overcoming the Brownian motion which facilitates easy separation of the metal ion sorbed secondary nanostructures and also do not get drained out during filtration, thus providing pure water. PMID:26602613

Synthesis and applications of one-dimensional nano-structured polyaniline: An overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Donghua; Wang Yangyong

2006-01-01

This paper summarizes and reviews the various synthesizing approaches of one-dimensional nano-structured polyaniline (PANI) and several potential applications of the nanomaterial. The synthesizing approaches can be generally categorized into template synthesis and non-template synthesis according to whether template(s), hard (physical template) or soft (chemical template), is (are) used or not. However, though the various approaches established, preparation of one-dimensional nano-structured PANI with controllable morphologies and sizes, especially well oriented arrays on a large scale is still a major challenge. Furthermore, the formation mechanisms of the nanostructures are still unclear. On the other hand, one-dimensional nano-structured PANI exhibits high surface area, high conductivity, as well as controllable chemical/physical properties and good environmental stability, rendering the nanomaterial promising candidate for application ranging from sensors, energy storage and flash welding to digital nonvolatile memory

Synthesis of dumbbell-like Au nanostructure and its light-absorbance study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Jianlei; Xu Yan; Li Kun; Song Shiping; Fan Chunhai

2013-01-01

Background: By changing the size or the morphology of Au nanostructure, they can absorb different wavelength light due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Because Au nanorods show good ability to transform light into heat (photothermal effect), they have been wildly used to deliver the drugs and release them controllably. However, when applying such nanostructure for in vivo treatments, Au nanorods must have long aspect ratio which often make it hard to prepare heterogeneous nanostructure. Purpose: A new method to synthesize Au nanostructure with uniform size and to achieve long wavelength light absorbance is needed. This work attempts to synthesize such Au nanostructure by using bio-nano techniques. Methods: New nanostructures are prepared by growing Au nanoparticles on the surface of Au nanorods modified with DNA molecules. Results: Dumbbell-Ikea Au nanostructures were prepared firstly. Its maximum absorbance locates at near ultraviolet region, which means that it can be used as a potential tool for the deep-skin photothermal treatment. Moreover, other two kinds of nanostructures, i.e. Au nanorods with Au splinter at two ends and sea urchin-like nanostructures, are also studied. Conclusions: We successfully fabricated novel Au nanostructures which can be used for drug delivery, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and catalysis. (authors)

Femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface nanostructuring of sputtered platinum thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodríguez, Ainara, E-mail: airodriguez@ceit.es [CIC microGUNE, Goiru Kalea 9 Polo Innovación Garaia, 20500 Arrasate-Mondragón (Spain); CEIT-IK4 & Tecnun (University of Navarra), Paseo Manuel Lardizábal 15, 20018 San Sebastián (Spain); Morant-Miñana, Maria Carmen; Dias-Ponte, Antonio; Martínez-Calderón, Miguel; Gómez-Aranzadi, Mikel; Olaizola, Santiago M. [CIC microGUNE, Goiru Kalea 9 Polo Innovación Garaia, 20500 Arrasate-Mondragón (Spain); CEIT-IK4 & Tecnun (University of Navarra), Paseo Manuel Lardizábal 15, 20018 San Sebastián (Spain)

2015-10-01

Highlights: • Femtosecond laser-induced surface nanostructures on sputtered platinum thin films. • Three types of structures obtained: random nanostructures, LSFL and HSFL. • Two different modification regimes have been established based on laser fluence. - Abstract: In this work, submicro and nanostructures self-formed on the surface of Platinum thin films under femtosecond laser-pulse irradiation are investigated. A Ti:Sapphire laser system was used to linearly scan 15 mm lines with 100 fs pulses at a central wavelength of 800 nm with a 1 kHz repetition rate. The resulting structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 2D-Fast Fourier Transform (2D-FFT) analysis. This analysis of images revealed different types of structures depending on the laser irradiation parameters: random nanostructures, low spatial frequency LIPSS (LSFL) with a periodicity from about 450 to 600 nm, and high spatial frequency LIPSS (HSFL) with a periodicity from about 80 to 200 nm. Two different modifications regimes have been established for the formation of nanostructures: (a) a high-fluence regime in which random nanostructures and LSFL are obtained and (b) a low-fluence regime in which HSFL and LSFL are obtained.

Nanowires and nanostructures fabrication using template methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mátéfi-Tempfli, Stefan; Mátéfi-Tempfli, M.; Vlad, A.

2009-01-01

One of the great challenges of today is to find reliable techniques for the fabrication of nanomaterials and nanostructures. Methods based on template synthesis and on self organization are the most promising due to their easiness and low cost. This paper focuses on the electrochemical synthesis ...... of nanowires and nanostructures using nanoporous host materials such as supported anodic aluminum considering it as a key template for nanowires based devices. New ways are opened for applications by combining such template synthesis methods with nanolithographic techniques....

PREFACE: Self-organized nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Rousset, Sylvie; Ortega, Enrique

2006-04-01

the EUROCORES SONS Programme under the auspices of the European Science Foundation and the VI Framework Programme of the European Community. It was also funded by CNRS `formation permanente'. Major topics relevant to self-organization are covered in these papers. The first two papers deal with the physics of self-organized nucleation and growth. Both metal and semiconductor templates are investigated. The paper by Meyer zu Heringdorf focuses on the mesoscopic patterns formed by the Au-induced faceting of vicinal Si (001). Repain et al describe how uniform and long-range ordered nanostructures are built on a surface by using nucleation on a point-defect array. Electronic properties of such self-organized systems are reviewed by Mugarza and Ortega. The next three papers deal with molecules and self-organization. In the paper presented by Kröger, molecules are deposited on vicinal Au surfaces and are studied by STM. A very active field in self-organized nanostructures is the chemical route for nanoparticle synthesis. The paper by Piléni deals with self-organization of inorganic crystals produced by evaporation of a solution, also called colloids. Their physical properties are also treated. Gacoin et al illustrate chemical synthesis, including the template approach, using organized mesoporous silica films for the production of semiconductor or metal arrays of particles. An alternative method is developed in the paper by Allongue and Maroun which is the electrochemical method of building arrays of nanostructures. Ultimately, self-organization is a very interdisciplinary field. There is also an attempt in this issue to present some of the challenges using biology. The paper by Belamie et al deals with the self-assembly of biological macromolecules, such as chitin and collagen. Finally, Molodtsov and co-workers describe how a biological template can be used in order to achieve novel materials made of hybrid metallo-organic nanostructures.

Guided aggregation of three-dimensional nanostructures in stressed thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Qiwei; Bassani, John L; Lou, Yucun

2012-01-01

Stress fields induced by external loads can alter the energy landscape in alloy systems and direct precipitation to form organized nanostructures. The aggregation of periodically patterned nanostructures via surface indentation on thin films is investigated using a phase-field model, which includes chemical, interfacial and elastic energies coupled with externally imposed stress fields. Both cylindrical and spherical indenters are considered, which lead to the formation of nanorods and nanodots, respectively, in the film, and the effects of loading geometry and material properties are systematically studied through 3D simulations. Nanostructures can be formed with varying precipitate morphologies. The results are shown to be consistent with estimates of elastic interaction energies associated with transformation strain, contrast in elastic properties and external loading. (paper)

Nanostructures for delivery of natural antimicrobials in food.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, Nathalie Almeida; Brandelli, Adriano

2017-04-10

Natural antimicrobial compounds are a topic of utmost interest in food science due to the increased demand for safe and high-quality foods with minimal processing. The use of nanostructures is an interesting alternative to protect and delivery antimicrobials in food, also providing controlled release of natural compounds such as bacteriocins and antimicrobial proteins, and also for delivery of plant derived antimicrobials. A diversity of nanostructures are capable of trapping natural antimicrobials maintaining the stability of substances that are frequently sensitive to food processing and storage conditions. This article provides an overview on natural antimicrobials incorporated in nanostructures, showing an effective antimicrobial activity on a diversity of food spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms.

Nanostructured manganese oxide thin films as electrode material for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Hui; Lai, Man On; Lu, Li

2011-01-01

Electrochemical capacitors, also called supercapacitors, are alternative energy storage devices, particularly for applications requiring high power densities. Recently, manganese oxides have been extensively evaluated as electrode materials for supercapacitors due to their low cost, environmental benignity, and promising supercapacitive performance. In order to maximize the utilization of manganese oxides as the electrode material for the supercapacitors and improve their supercapacitive performance, the nanostructured manganese oxides have therefore been developed. This paper reviews the synthesis of the nanostructured manganese oxide thin films by different methods and the supercapacitive performance of different nanostructures.

Field emission from patterned SnO2 nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yongsheng; Yu Ke; Li Guodong; Peng Deyan; Zhang Qiuxiang; Hu Hongmei; Xu Feng; Bai Wei; Ouyang Shixi; Zhu Ziqiang

2006-01-01

A simple and reliable method has been developed for synthesizing finely patterned tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) nanostructure arrays on silicon substrates. A patterned Au catalyst film was prepared on the silicon wafer by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and photolithographic patterning processes. The patterned SnO 2 nanostructures arrays, a unit area is of ∼500 μm x 200 μm, were synthesized via vapor phase transport method. The surface morphology and composition of the as-synthesized SnO 2 nanostructures were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanism of formation of SnO 2 nanostructures was also discussed. The measurement of field emission (FE) revealed that the as-synthesized SnO 2 nanorods, nanowires and nanoparticles arrays have a lower turn-on field of 2.6, 3.2 and 3.9 V/μm, respectively, at the current density of 0.1 μA/cm 2 . This approach must have a wide variety of applications such as fabrications of micro-optical components and micropatterned oxide thin films used in FE-based flat panel displays, sensor arrays and so on

Mesoscale elucidation of laser-assisted chemical deposition of Sn nanostructured electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Zhixiao; Mukherjee, Partha P., E-mail: pmukherjee@tamu.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States); Deng, Biwei; Cheng, Gary J. [School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 (United States); Deng, Huiqiu [Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)

2015-06-07

Nanostructured tin (Sn) is a promising high-capacity electrode for improved performance in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. In this work, Sn nanoisland growth for nanostructured electrodes assisted by the pulse laser irradiation has been investigated based on a mesoscale modeling formalism. The influence of pertinent processing conditions, such as pulse duration, heating/cooling rates, and atom flux, on the Sn nanostructure formation is specifically considered. The interaction between the adsorbed atom and the substrate, represented by the adatom diffusion barrier, is carefully studied. It is found that the diffusion barrier predominantly affects the distribution of Sn atoms. For both α-Sn and β-Sn, the averaged coordination number is larger than 3 when the diffusion barrier equals to 0.15 eV. The averaged coordination number decreases as the diffusion barrier increases. The substrate temperature, which is determined by heating/cooling rates and pulse duration, can also affect the formation of Sn nanoislands. For α-Sn, when applied low heating/cooling rates, nanoislands cannot form if the diffusion barrier is larger than 0.35 eV.

Nanostructured thin film coatings with different strengthening effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panfilov Yury

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A number of articles on strengthening thin film coatings were analyzed and a lot of unusual strengthening effects, such as super high hardness and plasticity simultaneously, ultra low friction coefficient, high wear-resistance, curve rigidity increasing of drills with small diameter, associated with process formation of nanostructured coatings by the different thin film deposition methods were detected. Vacuum coater with RF magnetron sputtering system and ion-beam source and arc evaporator for nanostructured thin film coating manufacture are represented. Diamond Like Carbon and MoS2 thin film coatings, Ti, Al, Nb, Cr, nitride, carbide, and carbo-nitride thin film materials are described as strengthening coatings.

Nanostructured ZnO films for potential use in LPG gas sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Latyshev, V. M.; Berestok, T. O.; Opanasyuk, A. S.; Kornyushchenko, A. S.; Perekrestov, V. I.

2017-05-01

The aim of the work was to obtain ZnO nanostructures with heightened surface area and to study relationship between formation method and gas sensor properties towards propane-butane mixture (LPG). In order to synthesize ZnO nanostructures chemical and physical formation methods have been utilized. The first one was chemical bath deposition technology and the second one magnetron sputtering of Zn followed by oxidation. Optimal method and technological parameters corresponding to formation of material with the highest sensor response have been determined experimentally. Dynamical gas sensor response at different temperature values and dependencies of the sensor sensitivity on the temperature at different LPG concentrations in air have been investigated. It has been found, that sensor response depends on the sample morphology and has the highest value for the structure consisting of thin nanowires. The factors that lead to the decrease in the gas sensor operating temperature have been determined.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in bimetallic nanostructure-enhanced methylammonium lead bromide perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Zarick, Holly F; Boulesbaa, Abdelaziz; Puretzky, Alexander A; Talbert, Eric M; DeBra, Zachary R; Soetan, Naiya; Geohegan, David B; Bardhan, Rizia

2017-01-26

In this work, we examine the impact of hybrid bimetallic Au/Ag core/shell nanostructures on the carrier dynamics of methylammonium lead tribromide (MAPbBr 3 ) mesoporous perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Plasmon-enhanced PSCs incorporated with Au/Ag nanostructures demonstrated improved light harvesting and increased power conversion efficiency by 26% relative to reference devices. Two complementary spectral techniques, transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) and time-resolved photoluminescence (trPL), were employed to gain a mechanistic understanding of plasmonic enhancement processes. TAS revealed a decrease in the photobleach formation time, which suggests that the nanostructures improve hot carrier thermalization to an equilibrium distribution, relieving hot phonon bottleneck in MAPbBr 3 perovskites. TAS also showed a decrease in carrier decay lifetimes, indicating that nanostructures enhance photoinduced carrier generation and promote efficient electron injection into TiO 2 prior to bulk recombination. Furthermore, nanostructure-incorporated perovskite films demonstrated quenching in steady-state PL and decreases in trPL carrier lifetimes, providing further evidence of improved carrier injection in plasmon-enhanced mesoporous PSCs.

Formation of tungsten oxide nanowires by ion irradiation and vacuum annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Xu-Dong; Ren, Feng; Wu, Heng-Yi; Qin, Wen-Jing; Jiang, Chang-Zhong

2018-04-01

Here we reported the fabrication of tungsten oxide (WO3-x ) nanowires by Ar+ ion irradiation of WO3 thin films followed by annealing in vacuum. The nanowire length increases with increasing irradiation fluence and with decreasing ion energy. We propose that the stress-driven diffusion of the irradiation-induced W interstitial atoms is responsible for the formation of the nanowires. Comparing to the pristine film, the fabricated nanowire film shows a 106-fold enhancement in electrical conductivity, resulting from the high-density irradiation-induced vacancies on the oxygen sublattice. The nanostructure exhibits largely enhanced surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect due to the oxygen vacancy. Thus, ion irradiation provides a powerful approach for fabricating and tailoring the surface nanostructures of semiconductors.

Functional nanostructured titanium nitride films obtained by sputtering magnetron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, O.; Hernandez-Velez, M.; Navas, D.; Auger, M.A.; Baldonedo, J.L.; Sanz, R.; Pirota, K.R.; Vazquez, M.

2006-01-01

Development of new methods in the formation of hollow structures, in particular, nanotubes and nanocages are currently generating a great interest as a consequence of the growing relevance of these nanostructures on many technological fields, ranging from optoelectronics to biotechnology. In this work, we report the formation of titanium nitride (TiN) nanotubes and nanohills via reactive sputtering magnetron processes. Anodic Alumina Membranes (AAM) were used as template substrates to grow the TiN nanostructures. The AAM were obtained through electrochemical anodization processes by using oxalic acid solutions as electrolytes. The nanotubes were produced at temperatures below 100 deg. C, and using a pure titanium (99.995%) sputtering target and nitrogen as reactive gas. The obtained TiN thin films showed surface morphologies adjusted to pore diameter and interpore distance of the substrates, as well as ordered arrays of nanotubes or nanohills depending on the sputtering and template conditions. High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM) was used to elucidate both the surface order and morphology of the different grown nanostructures. The crystalline structure of the samples was examined using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns and their qualitative chemical composition by using X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (XEDS) in a scanning electron microscopy

Precipitation synthesis and magnetic properties of self-assembled magnetite-chitosan nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bezdorozhev, Oleksii; Kolodiazhnyi, Taras; Vasylkiv, Oleg, E-mail: oleg.vasylkiv@nims.go.jp

2017-04-15

This paper reports the synthesis and magnetic properties of unique magnetite-chitosan nanostructures synthesized by the chemical precipitation of magnetite nanoparticles in the presence of chitosan. The influence of varying synthesis parameters on the morphology of the magnetic composites is determined. Depending on the synthesis parameters, magnetite-chitosan nanostructures of spherical (9–18 nm), rice-seed-like (75–290 nm) and lumpy (75–150 nm) shapes were obtained via self-assembly. Spherical nanostructures encapsulated by a 9–15 nm chitosan layer were assembled as well. The prospective morphology of the nanostructures is combined with their excellent magnetic characteristics. It was found that magnetite-chitosan nanostructures are ferromagnetic and pseudo-single domain. Rice-seed-like nanostructures exhibited a coercivity of 140 Oe and saturation magnetization of 56.7 emu/g at 300 K. However, a drop in the magnetic properties was observed for chitosan-coated spherical nanostructures due to the higher volume fraction of chitosan. - Highlights: • Magnetite-chitosan nanostructures are synthesized via self-assembly. • Different morphology can be obtained by adjusting the synthesis parameters. • An attractive combination of magnetic properties and morphology is obtained. • Magnetite-chitosan nanostructures are ferrimagnetic and pseudo-single domain.

Precipitation synthesis and magnetic properties of self-assembled magnetite-chitosan nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezdorozhev, Oleksii; Kolodiazhnyi, Taras; Vasylkiv, Oleg

2017-01-01

This paper reports the synthesis and magnetic properties of unique magnetite-chitosan nanostructures synthesized by the chemical precipitation of magnetite nanoparticles in the presence of chitosan. The influence of varying synthesis parameters on the morphology of the magnetic composites is determined. Depending on the synthesis parameters, magnetite-chitosan nanostructures of spherical (9–18 nm), rice-seed-like (75–290 nm) and lumpy (75–150 nm) shapes were obtained via self-assembly. Spherical nanostructures encapsulated by a 9–15 nm chitosan layer were assembled as well. The prospective morphology of the nanostructures is combined with their excellent magnetic characteristics. It was found that magnetite-chitosan nanostructures are ferromagnetic and pseudo-single domain. Rice-seed-like nanostructures exhibited a coercivity of 140 Oe and saturation magnetization of 56.7 emu/g at 300 K. However, a drop in the magnetic properties was observed for chitosan-coated spherical nanostructures due to the higher volume fraction of chitosan. - Highlights: • Magnetite-chitosan nanostructures are synthesized via self-assembly. • Different morphology can be obtained by adjusting the synthesis parameters. • An attractive combination of magnetic properties and morphology is obtained. • Magnetite-chitosan nanostructures are ferrimagnetic and pseudo-single domain.

Hydrogen adsorption in carbon nanostructures compared

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schimmel, H.G.; Nijkamp, M.G.; Kearley, G.J.; Rivera, A.; de Jong, K.P.; Mulder, F.M.

2004-01-01

Recent reports continue to suggest high hydrogen storage capacities for some carbon nanostructures due to a stronger interaction between hydrogen and carbon. Here the interaction of hydrogen with activated charcoal, carbon nanofibers, single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT), and electron beam ‘opened’

Influence of Growth Parameters on the Formation of Hydroxyapatite (HAp) Nanostructures and Their Cell Viability Studies

OpenAIRE

Manoj, Murugesan; Subbiah, Ramesh; Mangalaraj, Devanesan; Ponpandian, Nagamony; Viswanathan, Chinnuswamy; Park, Kwideok

2015-01-01

Morphology controlled hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanostruc‐ tures play a vital role in biomedical engineering, tissue regenerative medicine, biosensors, chemotherapeutic applications, environmental remediation, etc. The present work investigates the influence of temperature, pH and time on the growth of HAp nanostructures using a simple, cost effective and surfactant free chemical approach. The obtained HAp nanostructures were systematically investi‐ gated by analytical techniques such as XRD, FESE...

Cellular processing and destinies of artificial DNA nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Di Sheng; Qian, Hang; Tay, Chor Yong; Leong, David Tai

2016-08-07

Since many bionanotechnologies are targeted at cells, understanding how and where their interactions occur and the subsequent results of these interactions is important. Changing the intrinsic properties of DNA nanostructures and linking them with interactions presents a holistic and powerful strategy for understanding dual nanostructure-biological systems. With the recent advances in DNA nanotechnology, DNA nanostructures present a great opportunity to understand the often convoluted mass of information pertaining to nanoparticle-biological interactions due to the more precise control over their chemistry, sizes, and shapes. Coupling just some of these designs with an understanding of biological processes is both a challenge and a source of opportunities. Despite continuous advances in the field of DNA nanotechnology, the intracellular fate of DNA nanostructures has remained unclear and controversial. Because understanding its cellular processing and destiny is a necessary prelude to any rational design of exciting and innovative bionanotechnology, in this review, we will discuss and provide a comprehensive picture relevant to the intracellular processing and the fate of various DNA nanostructures which have been remained elusive for some time. We will also link the unique capabilities of DNA to some novel ideas for developing next-generation bionanotechnologies.

Directionally independent energy gap formation due to the hyperfine interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miyashita, Seiji; Raedt, Hans De; Michielsen, Kristel

We study energy gap formation at the level-crossing point due to the hyperfine interaction. In contrast to the energy gap induced by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, the gap induced by the hyperfine interaction is independent of the direction of the magnetic field. We also study the dynamics

Photoresponsive nanostructured membranes

KAUST Repository

Madhavan, Poornima

2016-07-26

The perspective of adding stimuli-response to isoporous membranes stimulates the development of separation devices with pores, which would open or close under control of environment chemical composition, temperature or exposure to light. Changes in pH and temperature have been previously investigated. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time the preparation of photoresponsive isoporous membranes, applying self-assembly non-solvent induced phase separation to a new light responsive block copolymer. First, we optimized the membrane formation by using poly(styrene-b-anthracene methyl methacrylate-b-methylmethacrylate) (PS-b-PAnMMA-b-PMMA) copolymer, identifying the most suitable solvent, copolymer block length, and other parameters. The obtained final triblock copolymer membrane morphologies were characterized using atomic force and electron microscopy. The microscopic analysis reveals that the PS-b-PAnMMA-b-PMMA copolymer can form both lamellar and ordered hexagonal nanoporous structures on the membrane top layer in appropriate solvent compositions. The nanostructured membrane emits fluorescence due to the presence of the anthracene mid-block. On irradiation of light the PS-b-PAnMMA-b-PMMA copolymer membranes has an additional stimuli response. The anthracene group undergoes conformational changes by forming [4 + 4] cycloadducts and this alters the membrane\\'s water flux and solute retention. © 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Photoresponsive nanostructured membranes

KAUST Repository

Madhavan, Poornima; Sutisna, Burhannudin; Sougrat, Rachid; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2016-01-01

The perspective of adding stimuli-response to isoporous membranes stimulates the development of separation devices with pores, which would open or close under control of environment chemical composition, temperature or exposure to light. Changes in pH and temperature have been previously investigated. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time the preparation of photoresponsive isoporous membranes, applying self-assembly non-solvent induced phase separation to a new light responsive block copolymer. First, we optimized the membrane formation by using poly(styrene-b-anthracene methyl methacrylate-b-methylmethacrylate) (PS-b-PAnMMA-b-PMMA) copolymer, identifying the most suitable solvent, copolymer block length, and other parameters. The obtained final triblock copolymer membrane morphologies were characterized using atomic force and electron microscopy. The microscopic analysis reveals that the PS-b-PAnMMA-b-PMMA copolymer can form both lamellar and ordered hexagonal nanoporous structures on the membrane top layer in appropriate solvent compositions. The nanostructured membrane emits fluorescence due to the presence of the anthracene mid-block. On irradiation of light the PS-b-PAnMMA-b-PMMA copolymer membranes has an additional stimuli response. The anthracene group undergoes conformational changes by forming [4 + 4] cycloadducts and this alters the membrane's water flux and solute retention. © 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Advanced Magnetic Nanostructures

CERN Document Server

Sellmyer, David

2006-01-01

Advanced Magnetic Nanostructures is devoted to the fabrication, characterization, experimental investigation, theoretical understanding, and utilization of advanced magnetic nanostructures. Focus is on various types of 'bottom-up' and 'top-down' artificial nanostructures, as contrasted to naturally occurring magnetic nanostructures, such as iron-oxide inclusions in magnetic rocks, and to structures such as perfect thin films. Chapter 1 is an introduction into some basic concepts, such as the definitions of basic magnetic quantities. Chapters 2-4 are devoted to the theory of magnetic nanostructures, Chapter 5 deals with the characterization of the structures, and Chapters 6-10 are devoted to specific systems. Applications of advanced magnetic nanostructures are discussed in Chapters11-15 and, finally, the appendix lists and briefly discusses magnetic properties of typical starting materials. Industrial and academic researchers in magnetism and related areas such as nanotechnology, materials science, and theore...

Controllable synthesis and defect-dependent photoluminescence properties of In2O3 nanostructures prepared by PVD

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Changqing; Wei, Yongxing; Peterson, George; Zhu, Kexin; Jian, Zengyun

2017-05-01

In2O3 nanostructures were successfully synthesized via physical vapor deposition (PVD). It was found that the morphology of nanostuctures could be controlled by manipulation of the synthesis temperature, growth time, use of a Au-catalyst, selection of substrate material, and vapor pressure. A higher synthesis temperature is more favorable for the formation of 1D nanostructures. An increased growth time increased the width and length of the 1D nanostructures. Through the use of a Au-catalyst coated Si (1 0 0) substrate, we were able to preferentially synthesize (1 0 0) In2O3 nanostructures, even at lower growth temperatures. This research shows that a Au-catalyst is necessary for the formation of one-dimensional (1D) In2O3 nanostructures. Three dimensional (3D) octahedral nanoparticles are resultant from a Au-free Si (1 0 0) substrate. Al2O3 (1 0 0) substrates were found to be energetically favorable for the synthesis of nanofilms, not 1D nanostructures, regardless of the presence of Au-catalyst. The photoluminescence curves indicate that the defect related luminescence is not a function of morphology, but rather the ratio of the partial vapor pressures of the constituent elements (In and O), which were controlled by the growth pressure.

Self-assembled peptide-based nanostructures: Smart nanomaterials toward targeted drug delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Habibi, Neda; Kamaly, Nazila; Memic, Adnan; Shafiee, Hadi

2016-02-01

Self-assembly of peptides can yield an array of well-defined nanostructures that are highly attractive nanomaterials for many biomedical applications such as drug delivery. Some of the advantages of self-assembled peptide nanostructures over other delivery platforms include their chemical diversity, biocompatibility, high loading capacity for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs, and their ability to target molecular recognition sites. Furthermore, these self-assembled nanostructures could be designed with novel peptide motifs, making them stimuli-responsive and achieving triggered drug delivery at disease sites. The goal of this work is to present a comprehensive review of the most recent studies on self-assembled peptides with a focus on their "smart" activity for formation of targeted and responsive drug-delivery carriers.

Composition of silicon fibrous nanostructures synthesized using ultrafast laser pulses under ambient conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sivakumar M.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this study the composition of nanostructures generated owing to ablation of crystalline silicon using high repletion rate femtosecond laser under ambient condition is investigated. The web-like silicon fibrous nanostructures are formed in and around the laser irradiated area. Electron Microscopy investigation revealed that the nanostructures are made of nanoparticles of size about 40 nm. In addition Micro-Raman analysis shows that the nanofibrous structures comprises a mixture of amorphous and polycrystalline silicon. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveals the oxidized and un-oxidized elemental states of silicon in the nanostructures. Moreover web-like fibrous nanostructures are generated due to condensation of super saturated vapour and subsequent nucleus growth in the laser induced plasma plume.

Asymmetric Star Formation Efficiency Due to Ram Pressure Stripping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulina Troncoso Iribarren

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Previous works have shown that a dense cluster environment affects satellite galaxy properties and accelerates or truncates their evolutionary processes. In this work, we use the EAGLE simulation to study this effect, dissecting the galaxies in two halves: the one that is falling directly to the cluster (leading half and the one behind (trailing half. Considering all galaxies within the virial radius of the most massive groups and clusters of the simulation ( M h a l o > 10 13 . 8 [ M ⊙ ] , we find that on average the leading half presents an enhancement of the star formation rate with respect to the trailing half. We conclude that galaxies falling into the intra-cluster medium experience a boost in star-formation in their leading half due to ram pressure. Sparse observations of jellyfish galaxies have revealed visually the enhancement of the star formation in the leading half. In order to confirm this effect statistically using observations, different cases must be investigated using the simulation as a test dataset.

Self-Consolidation Mechanism of Nanostructured Ti5Si3 Compact Induced by Electrical Discharge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. H. Lee

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Electrical discharge using a capacitance of 450 μF at 7.0 and 8.0 kJ input energies was applied to mechanical alloyed Ti5Si3 powder without applying any external pressure. A solid bulk of nanostructured Ti5Si3 with no compositional deviation was obtained in times as short as 159 μsec by the discharge. During an electrical discharge, the heat generated is the required parameter possibly to melt the Ti5Si3 particles and the pinch force can pressurize the melted powder without allowing the formation of pores. Followed rapid cooling preserved the nanostructure of consolidated Ti5Si3 compact. Three stepped processes during an electrical discharge for the formation of nanostructured Ti5Si3 compact are proposed: (a a physical breakdown of the surface oxide of Ti5Si3 powder particles, (b melting and condensation of Ti5Si3 powder by the heat and pinch pressure, respectively, and (c rapid cooling for the preservation of nanostructure. Complete conversion yielding a single phase Ti5Si3 is primarily dominated by the solid-liquid mechanism.

Hierarchical carbon nanostructure design: ultra-long carbon nanofibers decorated with carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Mel, A A; Achour, A; Gautron, E; Angleraud, B; Granier, A; Le Brizoual, L; Djouadi, M A; Tessier, P Y; Xu, W; Choi, C H

2011-01-01

Hierarchical carbon nanostructures based on ultra-long carbon nanofibers (CNF) decorated with carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been prepared using plasma processes. The nickel/carbon composite nanofibers, used as a support for the growth of CNT, were deposited on nanopatterned silicon substrate by a hybrid plasma process, combining magnetron sputtering and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of spherical nanoparticles randomly dispersed within the carbon nanofibers. The nickel nanoparticles have been used as a catalyst to initiate the growth of CNT by PECVD at 600 deg. C. After the growth of CNT onto the ultra-long CNF, SEM imaging revealed the formation of hierarchical carbon nanostructures which consist of CNF sheathed with CNTs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that reducing the growth temperature of CNT to less than 500 deg. C leads to the formation of carbon nanowalls on the CNF instead of CNT. This simple fabrication method allows an easy preparation of hierarchical carbon nanostructures over a large surface area, as well as a simple manipulation of such material in order to integrate it into nanodevices.

Carbon/Clay nanostructured composite obtained by hydrothermal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barin, G.B.; Bispo, T.S.; Gimenez, I.F.; Barreto, L.S.; Souza Filho, A.G.

2010-01-01

The development of strategies for converting biomass into useful materials, more efficient energy carrier and / or hydrogen storage is shown a key issue for the present and future. Carbon nanostructure can be obtained by severe processing techniques such as arc discharge, chemical deposition and catalyzed pyrolysis of organic compounds. In this study we used hydrothermal methods for obtaining nanostructured composites of carbon / clay. To this end, we used coir dust and special clays. The samples were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman. The presence of the D band at 1350 cm -1 in the Raman spectrum shows the formation of amorphous carbon with particle size of about 8.85 nm. (author)

Controlled synthesis of 2D Au nanostructure assembly with the assistance of sulfonated polyaniline nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Junhua; Wang Zhijuan; Zhang Qixian; Han, Dongxue; Zhang Yuanjian; Shen Yanfei; Niu Li

2006-01-01

A wet chemical approach is used successfully to produce nanostructured Au material by the reduction of sulfonated polyaniline (SPANI) nanotubes. The Au nanostructures obtained are composed of single crystal Au nanoplates, which are aggregated layer-by-layer into stacks or edge-on-face into clusters at various conditions. The Au nanoplate diameter and thickness can be conveniently controlled in the range of 100 nm to 2 μm and 10 to 30 nm, respectively, with no accompanying single Au nanoparticles being observed. The formation of the Au nanostructures was controlled by the degradation of SPANI. The gradually and slowly released segments of SPANI served as the reductant during the growth of the 2D Au nanostructures

Formation of tungsten oxide nanostructures by laser pyrolysis: stars, fibres and spheres

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Govender, M

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This report focuses on the production of multi-phase WO3 and WO3-x (where x could vary between 0.2 and 0.33) nanostructures synthesized by CO2-laser pyrolysis technique at varying laser wavelengths (9.22-10.82 mm) and power densities (17-110 W/cm2...

Studies on the controlled growth of InAs nanostructures on scission surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, J.

2006-01-01

The aim of this thesis was the controlled alignment of self-assembled InAs nano-structures on a {110}-oriented surface. The surface is prestructured with the atomic precision offered by molecular beam epitaxy, using the cleaved edge overgrowth-technique. On all samples grown within this work, the epitaxial template in the first growth step was deposited on a (001)GaAs substrate, while the InAs-layer forming the nanostructures during the second growth step was grown on cleaved {110}-GaAs surfaces. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) investigations demonstrate the formation of quantum dot (QD)-like nanostructures on top of the AlAs-stripes. X-ray diffraction measurements on large arrays of aligned quantum dots demonstrate that the quantum dots are formed of pure InAs. First investigations on the optical properties of these nanostructures were done using microphotoluminescence-spectroscopy with both high spatial and spectral resolution. (orig.)

Nanostructured layers of thermoelectric materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urban, Jeffrey J.; Lynch, Jared; Coates, Nelson; Forster, Jason; Sahu, Ayaskanta; Chabinyc, Michael; Russ, Boris

2018-01-30

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to thermoelectric materials. In one aspect, a method includes providing a plurality of nanostructures. The plurality of nanostructures comprise a thermoelectric material, with each nanostructure of the plurality of nanostructures having first ligands disposed on a surface of the nanostructure. The plurality of nanostructures is mixed with a solution containing second ligands and a ligand exchange process occurs in which the first ligands disposed on the plurality of nanostructures are replaced with the second ligands. The plurality of nanostructures is deposited on a substrate to form a layer. The layer is thermally annealed.

Boron-based nanostructures: Synthesis, functionalization, and characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Bedasso, Eyrusalam Kifyalew

Boron-based nanostructures have not been explored in detail; however, these structures have the potential to revolutionize many fields including electronics and biomedicine. The research discussed in this dissertation focuses on synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of boron-based zero-dimensional nanostructures (core/shell and nanoparticles) and one-dimensional nanostructures (nanorods). The first project investigates the synthesis and functionalization of boron-based core/shell nanoparticles. Two boron-containing core/shell nanoparticles, namely boron/iron oxide and boron/silica, were synthesized. Initially, boron nanoparticles with a diameter between 10-100 nm were prepared by decomposition of nido-decaborane (B10H14) followed by formation of a core/shell structure. The core/shell structures were prepared using the appropriate precursor, iron source and silica source, for the shell in the presence of boron nanoparticles. The formation of core/shell nanostructures was confirmed using high resolution TEM. Then, the core/shell nanoparticles underwent a surface modification. Boron/iron oxide core/shell nanoparticles were functionalized with oleic acid, citric acid, amine-terminated polyethylene glycol, folic acid, and dopamine, and boron/silica core/shell nanoparticles were modified with 3-(amino propyl) triethoxy silane, 3-(2-aminoethyleamino)propyltrimethoxysilane), citric acid, folic acid, amine-terminated polyethylene glycol, and O-(2-Carboxyethyl)polyethylene glycol. A UV-Vis and ATR-FTIR analysis established the success of surface modification. The cytotoxicity of water-soluble core/shell nanoparticles was studied in triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and the result showed the compounds are not toxic. The second project highlights optimization of reaction conditions for the synthesis of boron nanorods. This synthesis, done via reduction of boron oxide with molten lithium, was studied to produce boron nanorods without any

Lifetime of ALD Al₂O₃ Passivated Black Silicon Nanostructured for Photovoltaic Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Plakhotnyuk, Maksym; Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt; Schmidt, Michael Stenbæk

Black silicon nano-structures provide significant reduction of silicon surface reflection due to highly corrugated nano-structures with excellent light trapping properties. However, most recent RIE techniques for black silicon nano-structuring have one very important limitation for PV applications...

Temperature dependence of Ni3S2 nanostructures with high electrochemical performance

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y. L.; Wei, X. Q.; Li, M. B.; Hou, P. Y.; Xu, X. J.

2018-04-01

Different Ni3S2 nanostructures have been successfully synthesized at different temperatures by a facile and efficient solvothermal method. The Ni3S2 nanostructures with three-dimensional (3D) nanosheets array and silkworm eggs-like morphologies were obtained by adjusting the reaction temperature. A large number of 3D nanosheets are interconnected to form an open network structure with porous of Ni3S2 at 180 °C, and electrochemical tests showed that the special structure exhibited the outstanding specific capacitance (1357 F g -1 at 1 A g-1) and excellent cycling stability (maintained 91% after 3000 cycles). In comparison, the performance of Ni3S2 silkworm eggs-like structure is not very perfect. This may be due to the fact that the 3D nanosheets with porous structure can improve the electrochemical performance by shortening effectively the diffusion path of electrolyte ions and increasing the active sites during charging and discharging. Among them, the reaction temperature is the main factor to control the formation of the 3D nanosheets array. These results indicated the Ni3S2 nanosheets promising applications as high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials.

Engineering Metal Nanostructure for SERS Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanqin Cao

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS has attracted great attention due to its remarkable enhancement and excellent selectivity in the detection of various molecules. Noble metal nanomaterials have usually been employed for producing substrates that can be used in SERS because of their unique local plasma resonance. As the SERS enhancement of signals depends on parameters such as size, shape, morphology, arrangement, and dielectric environment of the nanostructure, there have been a number of studies on tunable nanofabrication and synthesis of noble metals. In this work, we will illustrate progress in engineering metallic nanostructures with various morphologies using versatile methods. We also discuss their SERS applications in different fields and the challenges.

SERS analysis of Ag nanostructures produced by ion-beam deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Atanasov, P. A.; Nedyalkov, N. N.; Nikov, Ru G.; Grüner, Ch; Rauschenbach, B.; Fukata, N.

2018-03-01

This study deals with the development of a novel technique for formation of advanced Ag nanostructures (NSs) to be applied to high-resolution analyses based on surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). It has direct bearing on human health and food quality, e.g., monitoring small amount or traces of pollutants or undesirable additives. Three types of nanostructured Ag samples were produced using ion-beam deposition at glancing angle (GLAD) on quartz. All fabricated structures were covered with BI-58 pesticide (dimethoate) or Rhodamine 6G (R6G) for testing their potential for use as substrates for (SERS).

Nanostructural self-organization and dynamic adaptation of metal-polymer tribosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Mashkov, Yu. K.

2017-02-01

The results of investigating the effect of nanosize modifiers of a polymer matrix on the nanostructural self-organization of polymer composites and dynamic adaptation of metal-polymer tribosystems, which considerably affect the wear resistance of polymer composite materials, have been analyzed. It has been shown that the physicochemical nanostructural self-organization processes are developed in metal-polymer tribosystems with the formation of thermotropic liquid-crystal structures of the polymer matrix, followed by the transition of the system to the stationary state with a negative feedback that ensures dynamic adaptation of the tribosystem to given operating conditions.

Modulation of fluorescence signals from biomolecules along nanowires due to interaction of light with oriented nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frederiksen, Rune Schøneberg; Alarcon-Llado, Esther; Madsen, Morten H.

2015-01-01

High aspect ratio nanostructures have gained increasing interest as highly sensitive platforms for biosensing. Here, well-defined biofunctionalized vertical indium arsenide nanowires are used to map the interaction of light with nanowires depending on their orientation and the excitation waveleng...

Preparation of dendritic Ag/Au bimetallic nanostructures and their application in surface-enhanced Raman scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi Zao; Chen Shanjun; Chen Yan; Luo Jiangshan; Wu Weidong; Yi Yougen; Tang Yongjian

2012-01-01

Dendritic Ag/Au bimetallic nanostructures have been synthesized via a multi-stage galvanic replacement reaction of Ag dendrites in a chlorauric acid (HAuCl 4 ) solution at room temperature. After five stages of replacement reaction, one obtains structures with protruding nanocubes; these will mature into many porous structures with a few Ag atoms that are left over dendrites. The morphological and compositional changes which evolved with reaction stages were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The replacement of Ag with Au was confirmed. A formation mechanism involving the original development of Ag dendrites into porous structures with the growth of Au nanocubes on this underlying structure as the number of reaction stages is proposed. This was confirmed by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The dendritic Ag/Au bimetallic nanostructures could be used as efficient SERS active substrates. It was found that the SERS enhancement ability was dependent on the stage of galvanic replacement reaction. - Highlights: ► Dendritic Ag/Au bimetallic nanostructures have been synthesized. ► Protruding cubic nanostructures obtained after 5 stages mature into porous structures. ► SERS results allow confirm the proposed formation mechanism. ► The nanostructures could be used as efficient SERS active substrates.

Particle size and shape modification of hydroxyapatite nanostructures synthesized via a complexing agent-assisted route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohandes, Fatemeh; Salavati-Niasari, Masoud

2014-01-01

In this work, hydroxyapatite (HAP), Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 , nanostructures including nanorods, nanobundles and nanoparticles have been prepared via a simple precipitation method. In the present method, Ca(NO 3 ) 2 ·4H 2 O and (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 were used as calcium and phosphorus precursors, respectively. Besides, the Schiff bases derived from 2-hydroxyacetophenone and different diamines were used as complexing agents for the in situ formation of Ca 2+ complexes. The formation mechanism of 0-D and 1-D nanostructures of HAP was also considered. When the complexing agents could coordinate to the Ca 2+ ions through N and O atoms to form the [CaN 2 O 2 ] 2+ complexes, HAP nanoparticles were generated. On the other hand, nanorods and nanobundles of HAP were obtained by forming the [CaN 2 ] 2+ as well as [CaO 2 ] 2+ complexes in the reaction solution. This work is the first successful synthesis of pure HAP nanostructures in the presence of Schiff bases instead of using the common surfactants. - Highlights: • HAP nanostructures have been prepared by a simple precipitation method. • To control shape and particle size of HAP, different Schiff bases were employed. • 0-D and 1-D HAP nanostructures have been formed by this method

Precursor Mediated Synthesis of Nanostructured Silicas: From Precursor-Surfactant Ion Pairs to Structured Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Hesemann, Peter; Nguyen, Thy Phung; Hankari, Samir El

2014-04-11

The synthesis of nanostructured anionic-surfactant-templated mesoporous silica (AMS) recently appeared as a new strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials. This method is based on the use of anionic surfactants together with a co-structure-directing agent (CSDA), mostly a silylated ammonium precursor. The presence of this CSDA is necessary in order to create ionic interactions between template and silica forming phases and to ensure sufficient affinity between the two phases. This synthetic strategy was for the first time applied in view of the synthesis of surface functionalized silica bearing ammonium groups and was then extended on the formation of materials functionalized with anionic carboxylate and bifunctional amine-carboxylate groups. In the field of silica hybrid materials, the "anionic templating" strategy has recently been applied for the synthesis of silica hybrid materials from cationic precursors. Starting from di- or oligosilylated imidazolium and ammonium precursors, only template directed hydrolysis-polycondensation reactions involving complementary anionic surfactants allowed accessing structured ionosilica hybrid materials. The mechanistic particularity of this approach resides in the formation of precursor-surfactant ion pairs in the hydrolysis-polycondensation mixture. This review gives a systematic overview over the various types of materials accessed from this cooperative ionic templating approach and highlights the high potential of this original strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials which appears as a complementary strategy to conventional soft templating approaches.

Electrochemical synthesis of nanostructured Se-doped SnS: Effect of Se-dopant on surface characterizations

Science.gov (United States)

Kafashan, Hosein; Azizieh, Mahdi; Balak, Zohre

2017-07-01

SnS1-xSex nanostructures with different Se-dopant concentrations were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate through cathodic electrodeposition technique. The pH, temperature, applied potential (E), and deposition time remained were 2.1, 60 °C, -1 V, and 30 min, respectively. SnS1-xSex nanostructures were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microcopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), room temperature photoluminescence (PL), and UV-vis spectroscopy. The XRD patterns revealed that the SnS1-xSex nanostructures were polycrystalline with orthorhombic structure. FESEM showed various kinds of morphologies in SnS1-xSex nanostructures due to Se-doping. PL and UV-vis spectroscopy were used to evaluate the optical properties of SnS1-xSex thin films. The PL spectra of SnS1-xSex nanostructures displayed four emission peaks, those are a blue, a green, an orange, and a red emission. UV-vis spectra showed that the optical band gap energy (Eg) of SnS1-xSex nanostructures varied between 1.22-1.65 eV, due to Se-doping.

Influence of Growth Parameters on the Formation of Hydroxyapatite (HAp Nanostructures and Their Cell Viability Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murugesan Manoj

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Morphology controlled hydroxyapatite (HAp nanostructures play a vital role in biomedical engineering, tissue regenerative medicine, biosensors, chemotherapeutic applications, environmental remediation, etc. The present work investigates the influence of temperature, pH and time on the growth of HAp nanostructures using a simple, cost effective and surfactant free chemical approach. The obtained HAp nanostructures were systematically investigated by analytical techniques such as XRD, FESEM, EDX, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The XRD analysis showed that the hexagonal structure of the hydroxyapatite and average crystallite size was estimated from this analysis. The electron microscopic analysis confirmed the different morphologies obtained by varying the synthesis parameters such as temperature, pH and time. The elemental composition was determined through EDS analysis. FTIR and Raman spectroscopic analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups and the purity and crystallinity of the samples. The biocompatibility and adhesion nature of samples was examined with mouse preosteoblast cells. The obtained results demonstrated good biocompatibility and excellent focal adhesion.

Growth of ZnO nanostructures on Au-coated Si: Influence of growth temperature on growth mechanism and morphology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kumar, Rajendra; McGlynn, E.; Biswas, M.

2008-01-01

ZnO nanostructures were grown on Au-catalyzed Si silicon substrates using vapor phase transport at growth temperatures from 800 to 1150 degrees C. The sample location ensured a low Zn vapor supersaturation during growth. Nanostructures grown at 800 and 850 degrees C showed a faceted rodlike...... growth tended to dominate resulting in the formation of a porous, nanostructured morphology. In all cases growth was seen only on the Au-coated region. Our results show that the majority of the nanostructures grow via a vapor-solid mechanism at low growth temperatures with no evidence of Au nanoparticles...

Laser nanostructuring of ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nedyalkov, N., E-mail: nned@ie.bas.bg [Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 223-8522 (Japan); Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzarigradsko shousse 72, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Koleva, M.; Nikov, R.; Atanasov, P. [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzarigradsko shousse 72, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Nakajima, Y.; Takami, A.; Shibata, A.; Terakawa, M. [Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 223-8522 (Japan)

2016-06-30

Highlights: • Nanosecond laser pulse nanostructuring of ZnO thin films on metal substrate is demonstrated. • Two regimes of the thin film modification are observed depending on the applied laser fluence. • At high fluence regime the ZnO film is homogeneously decomposed into nanosized particles. • The characteristic size of the formed nanostructures corresponds to the domain size of the thin film. - Abstract: In this work, results on laser processing of thin zinc oxide films deposited on metal substrate are presented. ZnO films are obtained by classical nanosecond pulsed laser deposition method in oxygen atmosphere on tantalum substrate. The produced films are then processed by nanosecond laser pulses at wavelength of 355 nm. The laser processing parameters and the film thickness are varied and their influence on the fabricated structures is estimated. The film morphology after the laser treatment is found to depend strongly on the laser fluence as two regimes are defined. It is shown that at certain conditions (high fluence regime) the laser treatment of the film leads to formation of a discrete nanostructure, composed of spherical like nanoparticles with narrow size distribution. The dynamics of the melt film on the substrate and fast cooling are found to be the main mechanisms for fabrication of the observed structures. The demonstrated method is an alternative way for direct fabrication of ZnO nanostructures on metal which can be easy implemented in applications as resistive sensor devices, electroluminescent elements, solar cell technology.

Avian Nanostructured Tissues as Models for New Defensive Coatings and Photonic Crystal Fibers

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-31

melanin and keratin from 90:10 to 10:90 in separate experiments and identify the points of strongest and weakest coffee ring formation. One of the...amorphous biophotonic nanostructures by phase separation . Soft Matter 5, 1792-1795. 19. Yunker, P.J. et al. 2011. Suppression of the coffe ring effect by shape-dependent capillary interactions. Nature 476:308-310. ...Relative contributions of pigments and biophotonic nanostructures to natural color production: a case study in Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus

Upconversion luminescence properties of Y2O3:Yb3+, Er3+ nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Gejihu; Qin Weiping; Zhang Jishen; Zhang Jishuang; Wang, Yan; Cao Chunyan; Cui Yang

2006-01-01

Cubic Y 2 O 3 nanostructures doped with Yb 3+ and Er 3+ ions were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. Three distinct shapes such as nanotubes, nanospheres and nanoflakes formed in the products by adjusting the pH value of reacting solution. Powder X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that all the three nanostructures are pure cubic phase, while electron microscopy measurements confirm the formation of different morphologies. These nanostructures exhibit strong visible upconversion luminescence under the excitation of a 978-nm diode laser. In Yb 3+ - and Er 3+ - codoped Y 2 O 3 nanocrystals, the relative intensity of green emission became stronger as the size and morphology of sample changed from tubes to flakes

Nanostructured composite reinforced material

Science.gov (United States)

Seals, Roland D [Oak Ridge, TN; Ripley, Edward B [Knoxville, TN; Ludtka, Gerard M [Oak Ridge, TN

2012-07-31

A family of materials wherein nanostructures and/or nanotubes are incorporated into a multi-component material arrangement, such as a metallic or ceramic alloy or composite/aggregate, producing a new material or metallic/ceramic alloy. The new material has significantly increased strength, up to several thousands of times normal and perhaps substantially more, as well as significantly decreased weight. The new materials may be manufactured into a component where the nanostructure or nanostructure reinforcement is incorporated into the bulk and/or matrix material, or as a coating where the nanostructure or nanostructure reinforcement is incorporated into the coating or surface of a "normal" substrate material. The nanostructures are incorporated into the material structure either randomly or aligned, within grains, or along or across grain boundaries.

Synthesis and characterization of CdTe nanostructures grown by RF magnetron sputtering method

Science.gov (United States)

Akbarnejad, Elaheh; Ghoranneviss, Mahmood; Hantehzadeh, Mohammad Reza

2017-08-01

In this paper, we synthesize Cadmium Telluride nanostructures by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system on soda lime glass at various thicknesses. The effect of CdTe nanostructures thickness on crystalline, optical and morphological properties has been studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometry, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The XRD parameters of CdTe nanostructures such as microstrain, dislocation density, and crystal size have been examined. From XRD analysis, it could be assumed that increasing deposition time caused the formation of the wurtzite hexagonal structure of the sputtered films. Optical properties of the grown nanostructures as a function of film thickness have been observed. All the films indicate more than 60% transmission over a wide range of wavelengths. The optical band gap values of the films have obtained in the range of 1.62-1.45 eV. The results indicate that an RF sputtering method succeeded in depositing of CdTe nanostructures with high purity and controllable physical properties, which is appropriate for photovoltaic and nuclear detector applications.

Synthesis of polymer nanostructures via the use of surfactant surface aggregates as templates

Science.gov (United States)

Marquez, Maricel

The subject of this work is the synthesis of polymer nanostructures via the use of surfactant surface aggregates as templates, also termed Template Assisted Admicellar Polymerization (TAAP). The first chapter reviews some of the most current nanopatterning techniques (including both top-down and bottom-up approaches), with particular emphasis on the fabrication of organic and inorganic patterned nanostructures via particle lithography. In chapter 2, highly ordered hexagonal arrays of latex spheres were prepared on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) from a variation of the Langmuir Blodgett technique, using an anionic surfactant (SDS), and a low molecular weight (ca. 10000) polyacrylamide as spreading agents. When a nonionic polyethoxylated (EO = 9) surfactant was used as the spreading agent, no ordered arrays were observed. Based on the correlation found between the surface tension in the presence of the latex particles and the critical concentration at which hexagonal arrangements of latex spheres occurs; a model was proposed to explain the role of the spreading agent in forming stable monolayers at the air/liquid interface, which in turn are necessary for the formation of well-ordered monolayers on a solid substrate from the LB technique. According to this model, solid-like regions of small numbers of latex spheres form at the liquid-air interface, which are then transferred to the substrate. These ordered regions then act as nuclei for the formation of 2D arrays of latex spheres on the surface upon water evaporation. The role of other factors such as relative humidity, substrate and solvent choice, and pulling vs. compression speed were also found to affect the quality of the monolayers formed. Finally, a simple, easy to automate, yet effective surface tension method was proposed to predict the optimal conditions for the formation of ordered monolayers using a variation of the LB deposition method from any monodisperse set of spheres. In chapter 3, a novel

One-dimensional titania nanostructures: Synthesis and applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Hao [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials and Hubei Collaborative Innovation Centre for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China); State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Guo, Zhiguang, E-mail: zguo@licp.cas.cn [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials and Hubei Collaborative Innovation Centre for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China); State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Wang, Shimin [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials and Hubei Collaborative Innovation Centre for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062 (China); Liu, Weimin [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

2014-05-02

One-dimensional (1D) titania (TiO{sub 2}) in the form of nanorods, nanowires, nanobelts and nanotubes have attracted much attention due to their unique physical, chemical and optical properties enabling extraordinary performance in biomedicine, sensors, energy storage, solar cells and photocatalysis. In this review, we mainly focus on synthetic methods for 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures and the applications of 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Traditional nanoparticle-based DSCs have numerous grain boundaries and surface defects, which increase the charge recombination from photoanode to electrolyte. 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures can provide direct and rapid electron transport to the electron collecting electrode, indicating a promising choice for DSCs. We divide the applications of 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures in DSCs into four parts, that is, 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures only, 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructure/nanoparticle composites, branched 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures, and 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures combined with other materials. This work will provide guidance for preparing 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures, and using them as photoanodes in efficient DSCs. - Graphical abstract: 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures which can provide direct and rapid pathways for electron transport have promising applications in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The synthetic methods and applications of 1D TiO{sub 2} nanostructures in DSCs are summarized in this review article.

Influence of the ion distribution on shape and damage in Xe-induced ripple formation on Si

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biermanns, Andreas; Pietsch, Ullrich [Universitaet Siegen (Germany); Hanisch, Antje; Grenzer, Joerg; Facsko, Stefan [Foschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Germany); Metzger, Hartmut [ID01 beamline, ESRF (France)

2009-07-01

In recent years, the creation of surface-nanostructures due to ion-beam sputtering has gained much interest due to the possibility to pattern large surface areas with tunable morphologies in a short time. One kind of those nanostructures are wave-like patterns (ripples) produced by an interplay between a roughening process caused by ion beam erosion (sputtering) of the surface and smoothening processes caused by surface diffusion. For the creation of such ripple patterns with medium energy ions, the ion beam has to be inclined with respect to the surface normal of the target by an angle between 60 {sup circle} and 80 {sup circle}. In this presentation we show that the resulting inhomogeneity within the irradiated sample area is essential for the ripple formation. We report on investigations of the ion distribution on ripple formation on Si (001) surfaces after irradiation with medium-energy Xe{sup +}-ions. We studied the change of average surface morphology and the damage imposed to the crystal by means of grazing-incidence - small angle scattering (GISAXS) and diffraction (GID) using synchrotron-radiation. We show that changing the asymmetry of the ion distribution changes both morphology and degree of damage of the crystalline material.

A study on photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO@ZnS nanostructures synthesized via facile ion-exchange approach

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Akash; Sahoo, Pooja; Thangavel, R.

2018-05-01

In this work, ZnO nanorods (NRs) were fabricated, on cleaned ITO substrates by using sol-gel spin coating followed by hydrothermal technique. In order to coat zinc sulphide (ZnS) layers on the earlier prepared NRs a facile ion-exchange approach was adopted. The ZnO@ZnS nanostructures so prepared were characterised by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-visible spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical study. XRD spectra confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of all the samples along with preferential c-axis orientation. Further it was also observed from the FESEM images that sulfidation process doesn't affect the structure of ZnO NRs arrays. From the absorption spectra it can be clearly observed that the light absorbing property has increased in within the visible range due to the formation of ZnS layer on the ZnO nanostructures, which is not possible for either of the material individually. The cyclic voltammetry results indicates the enhancement in photocurrent density after illumination for the synthesized nanostructures. The electrocatalytic behaviour of ZnO@ZnS electrodes have been studied using a 3-electrode system in presence of 0.1M NaOH electrolyte solution with respect to an Ag/AgCl reference electrode.

The green hydrothermal synthesis of nanostructured Cu2ZnSnSe4 as solar cell material and study of their structural, optical and morphological properties

Science.gov (United States)

Vanalakar, S. A.; Agawane, G. L.; Kamble, A. S.; Patil, P. S.; Kim, J. H.

2017-12-01

Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) has attracted intensive attention as an absorber material for the thin-film solar cells due to its high absorption coefficient, direct band gap, low toxicity, and abundance of its constituent elements. In this study nanostructured CZTSe nanoparticles are prepared via green hydrothermal synthesis without using toxic solvents, organic amines, catalysts or noxious chemicals. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of CZTSe nanostructured powder were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) techniques. Raman peaks at 170, 195, and 232 cm-1 confirm the formation of pure phase CZTSe nanostructured particles. In addition, the EDS and XPS results confirm the appropriate chemical purity of the annealed CZTSe nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the TEM analysis showed the presence of phase pure oval like CZTSe particle with size of about 80-140 nm. The UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectra analysis showed that the optical band gap of CZTSe nanostructured particles is about 1.14 eV. This band gap energy is close to the optimum value of a photovoltaic solar cell absorber material.

Surface morphology effects on the light-controlled wettability of ZnO nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khranovskyy, V., E-mail: volkh@ifm.liu.se [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linkoping University (Sweden); Ekblad, T.; Yakimova, R.; Hultman, L. [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linkoping University (Sweden)

2012-08-01

ZnO nanostructures of diverse morphology with shapes of corrals and cabbages as well as open and filled hexagons and sheaves prepared by APMOCVD technique, are investigated with water contact angle (CA) analysis. The as-grown ZnO nanostructures exhibit pure hydrophobic behavior, which is enhanced with the increase of the nanostructure's surface area. The most hydrophobic structures (CA = 124 Degree-Sign ) were found to be the complex nanosheaf, containing both the macro-and nanoscale features. It is concluded that the nanoscale roughness contributes significantly to the hydrophobicity increase. The character of wettability was possible to switch from hydrophobic-to-superhydrophilic state upon ultra violet irradiation. Both the rate and amplitude of the contact angle depend on the characteristic size of nanostructure. The observed effect is explained due to the semiconductor properties of zinc oxide enhanced by increased surface chemistry effect in nanostructures.

semiconducting nanostructures: morphology and thermoelectric properties

Science.gov (United States)

Culebras, Mario; Torán, Raquel; Gómez, Clara M.; Cantarero, Andrés

2014-08-01

Semiconducting metallic oxides, especially perosvkite materials, are great candidates for thermoelectric applications due to several advantages over traditionally metallic alloys such as low production costs and high chemical stability at high temperatures. Nanostructuration can be the key to develop highly efficient thermoelectric materials. In this work, La 1- x Ca x MnO 3 perosvkite nanostructures with Ca as a dopant have been synthesized by the hydrothermal method to be used in thermoelectric applications at room temperature. Several heat treatments have been made in all samples, leading to a change in their morphology and thermoelectric properties. The best thermoelectric efficiency has been obtained for a Ca content of x=0.5. The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient are strongly related to the calcium content.

Repair for mitral stenosis due to pannus formation after Duran ring annuloplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Seunghwan; Cho, Seong Ho; Yang, Ji-Hyuk; Park, Pyo Won

2010-12-01

Mitral stenosis after mitral repair with using an annuloplasty ring is not common and it is almost always due to pannus formation. Mitral valve replacement was required in most of the previous cases of pannus covering the mitral valve leaflet, which could not be stripped off without damaging the valve leaflets. In two cases, we removed the previous annuloplasty ring and pannus without leaflet injury, and we successfully repaired the mitral valve. During the follow-up of 4 months and 39 months respectively, we observed improvement of the patients' symptoms and good valvular function. Redo mitral repair may be a possible method for treating mitral stenosis due to pannus formation after ring annuloplasty. Copyright © 2010 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-assembled catalytic DNA nanostructures for synthesis of para-directed polyaniline.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhen-Gang; Zhan, Pengfei; Ding, Baoquan

2013-02-26

Templated synthesis has been considered as an efficient approach to produce polyaniline (PANI) nanostructures. The features of DNA molecules enable a DNA template to be an intriguing template for fabrication of emeraldine PANI. In this work, we assembled HRP-mimicking DNAzyme with different artificial DNA nanostructures, aiming to manipulate the molecular structures and morphologies of PANI nanostructures through the controlled DNA self-assembly. UV-vis absorption spectra were used to investigate the molecular structures of PANI and monitor kinetic growth of PANI. It was found that PANI was well-doped at neutral pH and the redox behaviors of the resultant PANI were dependent on the charge density of the template, which was controlled by the template configurations. CD spectra indicated that the PANI threaded tightly around the helical DNA backbone, resulting in the right handedness of PANI. These reveal the formation of the emeraldine form of PANI that was doped by the DNA. The morphologies of the resultant PANI were studied by AFM and SEM. It was concluded from the imaging and spectroscopic kinetic results that PANI grew preferably from the DNAzyme sites and then expanded over the template to form 1D PANI nanostructures. The strategy of the DNAzyme-DNA template assembly brings several advantages in the synthesis of para-coupling PANI, including the region-selective growth of PANI, facilitating the formation of a para-coupling structure and facile regulation. We believe this study contributes significantly to the fabrication of doped PANI nanopatterns with controlled complexity, and the development of DNA nanotechnology.

Imaging edges of nanostructured graphene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kling, Jens; Cagliani, Alberto; Booth, T. J.

Graphene, as the forefather of 2D-materials, attracts much attention due to its extraordinary properties like transparency, flexibility and outstanding high conductivity, together with a thickness of only one atom. However, graphene also possesses no band gap, which makes it unsuitable for many...... electronic applications like transistors. It has been shown theoretically that by nanostructuring pristine graphene, e.g. with regular holes, the electronic properties can be tuned and a band gap introduced. The size, distance and edge termination of these “defects” influence the adaptability....... Such nanostructuring can be done experimentally, but especially characterization at atomic level is a huge challenge. High-resolution TEM (HRTEM) is used to characterize the atomic structure of graphene. We optimized the imaging conditions used for the FEI Titan ETEM. To reduce the knock-on damage of the carbon atoms...

Fabrication, Characterization, Properties, and Applications of Low-Dimensional BiFeO3 Nanostructures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heng Wu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Low-dimensional BiFeO3 nanostructures (e.g., nanocrystals, nanowires, nanotubes, and nanoislands have received considerable attention due to their novel size-dependent properties and outstanding multiferroic properties at room temperature. In recent years, much progress has been made both in fabrications and (microstructural, electrical, and magnetic in characterizations of BiFeO3 low-dimensional nanostructures. An overview of the state of art in BiFeO3 low-dimensional nanostructures is presented. First, we review the fabrications of high-quality BiFeO3 low-dimensional nanostructures via a variety of techniques, and then the structural characterizations and physical properties of the BiFeO3 low-dimensional nanostructures are summarized. Their potential applications in the next-generation magnetoelectric random access memories and photovoltaic devices are also discussed. Finally, we conclude this review by providing our perspectives to the future researches of BiFeO3 low-dimensional nanostructures and some key problems are also outlined.

Surface structural, morphological, and catalytic studies of homogeneously dispersed anisotropic Ag nanostructures within mesoporous silica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sareen, Shweta [Thapar University, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry (India); Mutreja, Vishal [Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Department of Chemistry (India); Pal, Bonamali; Singh, Satnam, E-mail: ssingh@thapar.edu [Thapar University, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry (India)

2016-11-15

Highly dispersed anisotropic Ag nanostructures were synthesized within the channels of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS)-modified mesoporous SBA-15 for catalyzing the reduction of p-dinitrobenzene, p-nitrophenol, and p-nitroacetophenone, respectively. A green templating process without involving any reducing agent, by varying the amount (1–10 wt.%) of Ag loading followed by calcination at 350 °C under H{sub 2} led to change in the morphology of Ag nanoparticles from nanospheres (~7–8 nm) to nanorods (aspect ratio ~12–30 nm) without any deformation in mesoporous sieves. In comparison to white bare SBA-15, gray-colored samples were formed with Ag impregnation exhibiting absorption bands at 484 and 840 nm indicating the formation of anisotropic Ag nanostructures within mesoporous matrix. TEM and FE-SEM micrographs confirmed the presence of evenly dispersed Ag nanostructures within as well as on the surface of mesoporous matrix. AFM studies indicated a small decrease in the average roughness of SBA-15 from 20.59 to 19.21 nm for 4 wt.% Ag/m-SBA-15, illustrating the encapsulation of majority of Ag nanoparticles in the siliceous matrix and presence of small amount of Ag nanoparticles on the mesoporous support. Moreover, due to plugging of mesopores with Ag, a significant decrease in surface area from 680 m{sup 2}/g of SBA-15 to 385 m{sup 2}/g was observed. The Ag-impregnated SBA-15 catalyst displayed superior catalytic activity than did bare SBA-15 with 4 wt.% Ag-loaded catalyst exhibiting optimum activity for selective reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol (100 %), p-nitroacetophenone to p-aminoacetophenone (100 %), and p-dinitrobenzene to p-nitroaniline (87 %), with a small amount of p-phenylenediamine formation.

Engineered Metallic Nanostructures: Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Bohloul, Arash

Metallic nanostructures have garnered a great deal of attention due to their fascinating optical properties, which differ from the bulk metal. They have been proven to exceed expectations in wide variety of applications including chemical and biological sensing. Nevertheless, high-throughput and low cost nanofabrication techniques are required to implant metallic nanostructures in widespread applications. With that vision, this thesis presents a versatile and reliable method for scalable fabrication of gold nanostructures. In this approach, a plasma-treated ordered array of polystyrene nanospheres acts as an initial mask. The key step in this process is the vapor-deposition of nickel as a sacrificial mask. Thereby, gold nanostructures are directly formed on the substrate through the nickel mask. This is an easy, powerful, and straightforward method that offers several degrees of freedom to precisely control the shape and size of nanostructures. We made a library of nanostructures including gold nanocrescents, double crescents, nanorings, and nanodisks with the ability to tune the size in the range of 150 to 650 nm. The fabricated nanostructures are highly packed and uniformly cover the centimeter scale substrate. The optical properties of metallic nanostructures were extensively studied by a combination of UV-Vis-NIR and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, and correlation between optical response and geometrical parameters were investigated. In the next part of this thesis, highly sensitive surface enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) analysis was demonstrated on gold nanocrescent arrays. Theoretical modeling was confirmed that these substrates provide highly dense and strong hot-spots over the substrate, which is required for surface enhanced spectroscopic studies. Gold nanocrescent arrays exhibit highly tunable plasmon resonance to cover desired molecular vibrational bands. These substrates experimentally illustrated 3 orders of magnitude

Ionic Liquids As Self-Assembly Guide for the Formation of Nanostructured Block Copolymer Membranes

KAUST Repository

Madhavan, Poornima; Sougrat, Rachid; Behzad, Ali Reza; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2015-01-01

Nanostructured block copolymer membranes were manufactured by water induced phase inversion, using ionic liquids (ILs) as cosolvents. The effect of ionic liquids on the morphology was investigated, by using polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (PS

TEM of nanostructured metals and alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karnthaler, H.P.; Waitz, T.; Rentenberger, C.; Mingler, B.

2004-01-01

Nanostructuring has been used to improve the mechanical properties of bulk metals and alloys. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) including atomic resolution is therefore appropriate to study these nanostructures; four examples are given as follows. (1) The early stages of precipitation at RT were investigated in an Al-Mg-Si alloy. By high resolution TEM it is shown that the precipitates lie on (0 0 1) planes having an ordered structure. (2) In Co alloys the fronts of martensitic phase transformations were analysed showing that the transformation strains are very small thus causing no surface relief. (3) Re-ordering and recrystallization were studied by in situ TEM of an Ni 3 Al alloy being nanocrystalline after severe plastic deformation. (4) In NiTi severe plastic deformation is leading to the formation of amorphous shear bands. From the TEM analysis it is concluded that the amorphization is caused by plastic shear instability starting in the shear bands

Photon-trapping micro/nanostructures for high linearity in ultra-fast photodiodes

Science.gov (United States)

Cansizoglu, Hilal; Gao, Yang; Perez, Cesar Bartolo; Ghandiparsi, Soroush; Ponizovskaya Devine, Ekaterina; Cansizoglu, Mehmet F.; Yamada, Toshishige; Elrefaie, Aly F.; Wang, Shih-Yuan; Islam, M. Saif

2017-08-01

Photodetectors (PDs) in datacom and computer networks where the link length is up to 300 m, need to handle higher than typical input power used in other communication links. Also, to reduce power consumption due to equalization at high speed (>25Gb/s), the datacom links will use PAM-4 signaling instead of NRZ with stringent receiver linearity requirements. Si PDs with photon-trapping micro/nanostructures are shown to have high linearity in output current verses input optical power. Though there is less silicon material due to the holes, the micro-/nanostructured holes collectively reradiate the light to an in-plane direction of the PD surface and can avoid current crowding in the PD. Consequently, the photocurrent per unit volume remains at a low level contributing to high linearity in the photocurrent. We present the effect of design and lattice patterns of micro/nanostructures on the linearity of ultra-fast silicon PDs designed for high speed multi gigabit data networks.

Enhancement of Electrical Properties of Nanostructured Polysilicon Layers Through Hydrogen Passivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, D; Xu, T; Lambert, Y; Cristini-Robbe; Stiévenard, D

2015-12-01

The light absorption of polysilicon planar junctions can be improved using nanostructured top surfaces due to their enhanced light harvesting properties. Nevertheless, associated with the higher surface, the roughness caused by plasma etching and defects located at the grain boundary in polysilicon, the concentration of the recombination centers increases, leading to electrical performance deterioration. In this work, we demonstrate that wet oxidation combined with hydrogen passivation using SiN(x):H are the key technological processes to significantly decrease the surface recombination and improve the electrical properties of nanostructured n(+)-i-p junctions. Nanostructured surface is fabricated by nanosphere lithography in a low-cost and controllable approach. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the successive annealing of silicon nitride films has significant effect on the passivation quality, resulting in some improvements on the efficiency of the Si nanostructure-based solar cell device.

Ion beam assisted deposition of nano-structured C:Ni films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abrasonis, G.; Muecklich, A.; Heller, R.; Heinig, K.H.; Gemming, S.; Moeller, W. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany); Krause, M. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany); Institute of Physics, TU Dresden (Germany)

2012-07-01

Nanostructures influence material properties dramatically due to size, shape and interface effects. Thus the control of the structure at the nanoscale is a key issue in nanomaterials science. The interaction of hyperthermal ions with solids is confined to the nanometer scale. Thus, it can be used to control the morphology evolution during multiphase film deposition. Ion-induced displacements occur in a thin surface layer of the growing film where they increase the atomic mobility for the phase separation. Here the growth-structure relationship of C:Ni (15 at.%) nanocomposite films grown by oblique incidence (45 ) ion beam assisted deposition is reported. The influences of the flux of an assisting Ar+ ion beam (0-140 eV) as well as of an elevated substrate temperature have been studied. The formation of elongated nickel nanoparticles is strongly promoted by the ion beam assistance. Moreover, the metal nanocolumns no longer align with the advancing surface, but with the incoming ions. A window of conditions is established within which the ion assistance leads to the formation of regular composition modulations with a well defined periodicity and tilt. As the dominating driving force for the pattern formation is of physical origin, this approach might be applicable to other immiscible systems.

Growth of novel ZnO nanostructures by soft chemical routes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saravana Kumar, R.; Sathyamoorthy, R.; Matheswaran, P.; Sudhagar, P.; Kang, Yong Soo

2010-01-01

Research highlights: Fabrication of diverse ZnO nanostructures through soft chemical routes is both fundamentally interesting and technologically important. Accordingly, in the present work novel ZnO nanostructures namely nanorods/nanospines were grown on glass substrate by integrating SILAR and CBD techniques. This simple approach not only would lead to the development of an effective and commercial growth process for diverse ZnO nanostructures, but also lead to the large-scale preparation of other nanomaterials for many important applications in nanotechnology. - Abstract: We explore a facile route to prepare one-dimensional (1D) ZnO nanostructures including nanorods/nanospines on glass substrates by integrating inexpensive successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) and chemical bath deposition (CBD) methods. The effect of seed layer on the growth and morphology of the ZnO nanostructures was investigated. Accordingly, the surface modification of the seed layer prepared by SILAR was carried out by employing two different drying processes namely (a) allowing the hot substrate to cool for certain period of time before immersing in the ion-exchange bath, and (b) immediate immersion of the hot substrate into the ion-exchange bath. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the ZnO films revealed hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential orientation along c-axis, while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the dart-like and spherical shaped ZnO seed particles. ZnO nanostructures grown by CBD over the dart-like and spherical shaped ZnO seed particles resulted in the hierarchical and aligned ZnO nanospines/nanorods respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) study exhibited highly intense UV emission with weak visible emissions in the visible region. The growth mechanism and the role of seed layer morphology on the formation of ZnO nanostructures were discussed.

Growth of novel ZnO nanostructures by soft chemical routes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saravana Kumar, R. [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu (India); Sathyamoorthy, R., E-mail: rsathya59@gmail.co [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu (India); Matheswaran, P. [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu (India); Sudhagar, P.; Kang, Yong Soo [Energy Materials Laboratory, WCU Program Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-09-10

Research highlights: Fabrication of diverse ZnO nanostructures through soft chemical routes is both fundamentally interesting and technologically important. Accordingly, in the present work novel ZnO nanostructures namely nanorods/nanospines were grown on glass substrate by integrating SILAR and CBD techniques. This simple approach not only would lead to the development of an effective and commercial growth process for diverse ZnO nanostructures, but also lead to the large-scale preparation of other nanomaterials for many important applications in nanotechnology. - Abstract: We explore a facile route to prepare one-dimensional (1D) ZnO nanostructures including nanorods/nanospines on glass substrates by integrating inexpensive successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) and chemical bath deposition (CBD) methods. The effect of seed layer on the growth and morphology of the ZnO nanostructures was investigated. Accordingly, the surface modification of the seed layer prepared by SILAR was carried out by employing two different drying processes namely (a) allowing the hot substrate to cool for certain period of time before immersing in the ion-exchange bath, and (b) immediate immersion of the hot substrate into the ion-exchange bath. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the ZnO films revealed hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential orientation along c-axis, while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the dart-like and spherical shaped ZnO seed particles. ZnO nanostructures grown by CBD over the dart-like and spherical shaped ZnO seed particles resulted in the hierarchical and aligned ZnO nanospines/nanorods respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) study exhibited highly intense UV emission with weak visible emissions in the visible region. The growth mechanism and the role of seed layer morphology on the formation of ZnO nanostructures were discussed.

Using reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy to characterize capped silver nanostructures grown on silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fleischer, K.; Jacob, J.; McGilp, J.F. [School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 (Ireland); Chandola, S. [School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 (Ireland); ISAS - Institute for Analytical Sciences, Department Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Esser, N. [ISAS - Institute for Analytical Sciences, Department Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

2008-07-01

Using the single domain Si(111)-3 x 1-Ag surface as a template, room temperature deposition of two or more monolayers of Ag leads to the formation of metallic nanostructures. Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) in the infrared (IR) spectral region is used to analyse the anisotropic conductivity of the structures. The anisotropy is found to be influenced by the offcut angle of the substrate, and hence the terrace width. The Ag nanostructures were capped with Si to form a near-IR transparent protecting layer. The samples are stable to exposure to ambient conditions for significant periods. The RAS spectra are compared to model calculations, which support the conclusion that the buried metallic Ag nanostructures survive the capping process. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Mixed-solvothermal synthesis of CdS micro/nanostructures and their optical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong Shengliang; Zhang Linfei; Huang Zhenzhong; Wang Shangping

2011-01-01

Several novel cadmium sulfide (CdS) micro/nanostructures, including cauliflower-like microspheres, football-like microspheres, tower-like microrods, and dendrites were controllably prepared via an oxalic acid-assisted solvothermal route using ethylene glycol (EG) and H 2 O as pure and mixed solvents with different S sources. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and UV-vis spectrophotometer (UV). It was found that CdS micro/nanostructures can be selectively obtained by varying the composition of solvent, concentration of oxalic acid, and sulfur sources. UV-vis absorption spectra reveal that their absorption properties are shape-dependent. The possible formation process of the CdS micro/nanostructures was briefly discussed. This route provides a facile way to tune the morphologies of CdS over a wide range.

The structural properties of flower-like ZnO nanostructures on porous silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Eswar, Kevin Alvin; Suhaimi, Mohd Husairi Fadzillah; Guliling, Muliyadi; Mohamad, Maryam; Khusaimi, Zuraida; Rusop, M.; Abdullah, Saifollah

2018-05-01

The flower-like zinc oxide (ZnO) were successfully synthesized on porous silicon (PSi) via hydrothermal method. The characteristic of ZnO nanostructures was investigated using field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (X-Ray). The FESEM images show the flower-like ZnO nanostructures composed ZnO nanoparticles. The X-ray diffraction shows that strong intensity of (100), (002) and (101) peaks. The structural analysis revealed that the peaks angles were shifted due to the stress or imperfection of the crystalline of ZnO nanostructures. The crystalline sizes in range of 42.60 to 54.09 nm were produced.

Formation of Self-assembled Nanostructure on Noble Metal Islands Based on Anodized Aluminum Oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jong Bae; Kim, Young Sic; Kim, Seong Kyu; Lee, Hae Seong

2004-01-01

We have developed the methodology to produce nanoscale gold rods using an AAO template. Each gold rod was generated in every AAO pore. This nanoislands array of gold formed over the AAO pores can be used as corner stones for building nanostructures. We demonstrated this by forming a nanostructure on the Au/AAO by binding a self-assembly class of molecules onto the metal islands. Anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) has been considered an attractive template for simple fabrication of highly-ordered nanostructures. It provides a 2-dimensional array of hexagonal cells with pores of uniform diameter and inter-pore distance that are adjustable in the range of a few tens to hundreds of nanometers. It can be easily grown on an aluminum sheet with high purity by a sequence of several electrochemical steps; electro-polishing, the 1st anodization, etching, and the 2nd anodization. The pores are grown vertically with respect to the AAO surface. The regularity of the pore structure is usually limited by the inherent grain domain in the aluminum sheet to a few micrometers, but can be improved to cover many millimeters of monodomain by pre-indenting the aluminum sheet with SiC 7 or Si 3 N 4 molds. Although fabrication of such molds requires elaborate and costly processes with e-beam nanolithography, such potentially superb regularity can be practically applied to fabrication of nanoscale devices in electronics, optics, biosensors, etc

Fabrication of Defined Polydopamine Nanostructures by DNA Origami-Templated Polymerization.

Science.gov (United States)

Tokura, Yu; Harvey, Sean; Chen, Chaojian; Wu, Yuzhou; Ng, David Y W; Weil, Tanja

2018-02-05

A versatile, bottom-up approach allows the controlled fabrication of polydopamine (PD) nanostructures on DNA origami. PD is a biosynthetic polymer that has been investigated as an adhesive and promising surface coating material. However, the control of dopamine polymerization is challenged by the multistage-mediated reaction mechanism and diverse chemical structures in PD. DNA origami decorated with multiple horseradish peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme motifs was used to control the shape and size of PD formation with nanometer resolution. These fabricated PD nanostructures can serve as "supramolecular glue" for controlling DNA origami conformations. Facile liberation of the PD nanostructures from the DNA origami templates has been achieved in acidic medium. This presented DNA origami-controlled polymerization of a highly crosslinked polymer provides a unique access towards anisotropic PD architectures with distinct shapes that were retained even in the absence of the DNA origami template. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Ferroelectric mesocrystals of bismuth sodium titanate: formation mechanism, nanostructure, and application to piezoelectric materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Dengwei; Kong, Xingang; Mori, Kotaro; Tanaka, Yasuhiro; Shinagawa, Kazunari; Feng, Qi

2013-09-16

Ferroelectric mesocrystals of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT) with [100]-crystal-axis orientation were successfully prepared using a topotactic structural transformation process from a layered titanate H1.07Ti1.73O4·nH2O (HTO). The formation reactions of BNT mesocrystals in HTO-Bi2O3-Na2CO3 and HTO-TiO2-Bi2O3-Na2CO3 reaction systems and their nanostructures were studied by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, SAED, and EDS, and the reaction mechanisms were given. The BNT mesocrystals are formed by a topotactic structural transformation mechanism in the HTO-Bi2O3-Na2CO3 reaction system and by a combination mechanism of the topotactic structural transformation and epitaxial crystal growth in the HTO-TiO2-Bi2O3-Na2CO3 reaction system, respectively. The BNT mesocrystals prepared by these methods are constructed from [100]-oriented BNT nanocrystals. Furthermore, these reaction systems were successfully applied to the fabrication of [100]-oriented BNT ferroelectric ceramic materials. A BNT ceramic material with a high degree of orientation, high relative density, and small grain size was achieved.

Studies of Heterogeneous and Diffusion-Influenced Nucleation for Improved Processing of Nanostructural Materials

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kellon, Kenneth F; Buhro, William E

2005-01-01

.... The purpose of this grant was to identify a suitable glass for studies of the nucleation processes leading to nanostructure formation and to investigate the possibility of using TiB2 for enhanced...

Precursor Mediated Synthesis of Nanostructured Silicas: From Precursor-Surfactant Ion Pairs to Structured Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Hesemann

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The synthesis of nanostructured anionic-surfactant-templated mesoporous silica (AMS recently appeared as a new strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials. This method is based on the use of anionic surfactants together with a co-structure-directing agent (CSDA, mostly a silylated ammonium precursor. The presence of this CSDA is necessary in order to create ionic interactions between template and silica forming phases and to ensure sufficient affinity between the two phases. This synthetic strategy was for the first time applied in view of the synthesis of surface functionalized silica bearing ammonium groups and was then extended on the formation of materials functionalized with anionic carboxylate and bifunctional amine-carboxylate groups. In the field of silica hybrid materials, the “anionic templating” strategy has recently been applied for the synthesis of silica hybrid materials from cationic precursors. Starting from di- or oligosilylated imidazolium and ammonium precursors, only template directed hydrolysis-polycondensation reactions involving complementary anionic surfactants allowed accessing structured ionosilica hybrid materials. The mechanistic particularity of this approach resides in the formation of precursor-surfactant ion pairs in the hydrolysis-polycondensation mixture. This review gives a systematic overview over the various types of materials accessed from this cooperative ionic templating approach and highlights the high potential of this original strategy for the formation of nanostructured silica based materials which appears as a complementary strategy to conventional soft templating approaches.

Addressing the instability of DNA nanostructures in tissue culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Jaeseung; Wickham, Shelley F J; Shih, William M; Perrault, Steven D

2014-09-23

DNA nanotechnology is an advanced technique that could contribute diagnostic, therapeutic, and biomedical research devices to nanomedicine. Although such devices are often developed and demonstrated using in vitro tissue culture models, these conditions may not be compatible with DNA nanostructure integrity and function. The purpose of this study was to characterize the sensitivity of 3D DNA nanostructures produced via the origami method to the in vitro tissue culture environment and identify solutions to prevent loss of nanostructure integrity. We examined whether the physiological cation concentrations of cell culture medium and the nucleases present in fetal bovine serum (FBS) used as a medium supplement result in denaturation and digestion, respectively. DNA nanostructure denaturation due to cation depletion was design- and time-dependent, with one of four tested designs remaining intact after 24 h at 37 °C. Adjustment of medium by addition of MgSO4 prevented denaturation. Digestion of nanostructures by FBS nucleases in Mg(2+)-adjusted medium did not appear design-dependent and became significant within 24 h and when medium was supplemented with greater than 5% FBS. We estimated that medium supplemented with 10% FBS contains greater than 256 U/L equivalent of DNase I activity in digestion of DNA nanostructures. Heat inactivation at 75 °C and inclusion of actin protein in medium inactivated and inhibited nuclease activity, respectively. We examined the impact of medium adjustments on cell growth, viability, and phenotype. Adjustment of Mg(2+) to 6 mM did not appear to have a detrimental impact on cells. Heat inactivation was found to be incompatible with in vitro tissue culture, whereas inclusion of actin had no observable effect on growth and viability. In two in vitro assays, immune cell activation and nanoparticle endocytosis, we show that using conditions compatible with cell phenotype and nanostructure integrity is critical for obtaining reliable

Characterization of the porous anodic alumina nanostructures with a metal interlayer on Si substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Chia-Hui; Chen, Hung-Ing; Hsiao, Jui-Ju; Wang, Jen-Cheng; Nee, Tzer-En, E-mail: neete@mail.cgu.edu.tw

2014-04-15

Porous anodic alumina (PAA) films produced by the anodization technique have made possible the mass production of porous nano-scale structures where the pore height and diameter are controllable. A metal interlayer is observed to have a significant influence on the characteristics of these PAA nanostructures. In this study, we investigate in-depth the effect of the current density on the properties of porous anodic alumina nanostructures with a metal interlayer. A thin film layer of tungsten (W) and titanium (Ti) was sandwiched between a porous anodic alumina film and a silicon (Si) substrate to form PAA/W/Si and PAA/Ti/Si structures. The material and optical characteristics of the porous anodic alumina nanostructures, with and without a metal interlayer, on silicon substrates were studied using the scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The current densities of the porous anodic alumina nanostructures with the metal interlayer are higher than for the PAA/Si, resulting in an increase of the growth rate of the oxide layer. It can be observed from the X-ray diffraction curves that there is more aluminum oxide inside the structure with the metal interlayer. Furthermore, it has been found that there is a reduction in the photoluminescence intensity of the oxygen vacancy with only one electron due to the formation of oxygen vacancies inside the aluminum oxide during the re-crystallization process. This leads to competition between the two kinds of different oxygen-deficient defect centers (F+ and F centers) in the carrier recombination mechanism from the PL spectra of the porous anodic alumina nanostructures, with and without a metal interlayer, on silicon substrates. -- Highlights: • Study of porous anodic alumina (PAA) films with metal interlayers on silicon. • The highly ordered PAA film with a fairly regular nano-porous structure. • The luminescence properties of PAA films were

Study of quantum confinement effects in ZnO nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Movlarooy, Tayebeh

2018-03-01

Motivation to fact that zinc oxide nanowires and nanotubes with successful synthesis and the mechanism of formation, stability and electronic properties have been investigated; in this study the structural, electronic properties and quantum confinement effects of zinc oxide nanotubes and nanowires with different diameters are discussed. The calculations within density functional theory and the pseudo potential approximation are done. The electronic structure and energy gap for Armchair and zigzag ZnO nanotubes with a diameter of about 4 to 55 Angstrom and ZnO nanowires with a diameter range of 4 to 23 Å is calculated. The results revealed that due to the quantum confinement effects, by reducing the diameter of nanowires and nanotubes, the energy gap increases. Zinc oxide semiconductor nanostructures since having direct band gap with size-dependent and quantum confinement effect are recommended as an appropriate candidate for making nanoscale optoelectronic devices.

Synthesis of ferroelectric nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roervik, Per Martin

2008-12-15

respectively BaTi2O5/BaTi5O11 and Na2Ti6O13 for the two different systems, in contradiction to the previous studies. It was shown that NaCl reacted with BaO(PbO) resulting in loss of volatile BaCl2 (PbCl2 ) and formation and preferential growth of titanium oxide-rich nanorods instead of the target phase BaTiO3 (or PbTiO3 ). The molten salt synthesis route may therefore not necessarily yield nanorods of the target ternary oxide as reported previously. In addition, the importance of NaCl(g) for the growth of nanorods below the melting point of NaCl was demonstrated in a special experimental setup, where NaCl and the precursors were physically separated. In Paper II and III, a hydrothermal synthesis method to grow arrays and hierarchical nanostructures of PbTiO3 nanorods and platelets on substrates is presented. Hydrothermal treatment of an amorphous PbTiO3 precursor in the presence of a surfactant and PbTiO3 or SrTiO3 substrates resulted in the growth of PbTiO3 nanorods and platelets aligned in the crystallographic <100> orientations of the SrTiO3 substrates. PbTiO3 nanorods oriented perpendicular to the substrate surface could also be grown directly on the substrate by a modified synthesis method. The hydrothermal method described in Paper II and III was developed on the basis of the method described in Appendices I and II. In Paper IV, a template-assisted method to make PbTiO3 nanotubes is presented. An equimolar Pb-Ti sol was dropped onto porous alumina membranes and penetrated into the channels of the template. Single-phase PbTiO3 perovskite nanotubes were obtained by annealing at 700 degrees Celsius for 6 h. The nanotubes had diameters of 200 - 400 nm with a wall thickness of approximately 20 nm. Excess PbO or annealing in a Pb-containing atmosphere was not necessary in order to achieve single phase PbTiO3 nanotubes. The influence of the heating procedure and the sol concentration is discussed. In Paper V, a piezoresponse force microscopy study of single PbTiO3 nanorods is

Nanostructure Engineered Chemical Sensors for Hazardous Gas and Vapor Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jing; Lu, Yijiang

2005-01-01

A nanosensor technology has been developed using nanostructures, such as single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and metal oxides nanowires or nanobelts, on a pair of interdigitated electrodes (IDE) processed with a silicon based microfabrication and micromachining technique. The IDE fingers were fabricated using thin film metallization techniques. Both in-situ growth of nanostructure materials and casting of the nanostructure dispersions were used to make chemical sensing devices. These sensors have been exposed to hazardous gases and vapors, such as acetone, benzene, chlorine, and ammonia in the concentration range of ppm to ppb at room temperature. The electronic molecular sensing in our sensor platform can be understood by electron modulation between the nanostructure engineered device and gas molecules. As a result of the electron modulation, the conductance of nanodevice will change. Due to the large surface area, low surface energy barrier and high thermal and mechanical stability, nanostructured chemical sensors potentially can offer higher sensitivity, lower power consumption and better robustness than the state-of-the-art systems, which make them more attractive for defense and space applications. Combined with MEMS technology, light weight and compact size sensors can be made in wafer scale with low cost.

Space confinement and rotation stress induced self-organization of double-helix nanostructure: a nanotube twist with a moving catalyst head.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Meng-Qiang; Zhang, Qiang; Tian, Gui-Li; Huang, Jia-Qi; Wei, Fei

2012-05-22

Inorganic materials with double-helix structure have attracted intensive attention due to not only their elegant morphology but also their amazing morphology-related potential applications. The investigation on the formation mechanism of the inorganic double-helix nanostructure is the first step for the fundamental studies of their materials or physical properties. Herein, we demonstrated the space confinement and rotation stress induced self-organization mechanism of the carbon nanotube (CNT)-array double helices under scanning electron microscopy by directly observing their formation process from individual layered double hydroxide flakes, which is a kind of hydrotalcite-like material composed of positively charged layers and charge-balancing interlayer anions. Space confinement is considered to be the most important extrinsic factor for the formation of CNT-array double helices. Synchronous growth of the CNT arrays oppositely from LDH flakes with space confinement on both sides at the same time is essential for the growth of CNT-array double helices. Coiling of the as-grown CNT arrays into double helices will proceed by self-organization, tending to the most stable morphology in order to release their internal rotation stress. Based on the demonstrated mechanism, effective routes were carried out to improve the selectivity for CNT-array double helices. The work provides a promising method for the fabrication of double-helix nanostructures with their two helices connected at the end by self-assembly.

LPG ammonia and nitrogen dioxide gas sensing properties of nanostructured polypyrrole thin film

Science.gov (United States)

Bagul, Sagar B.; Upadhye, Deepak S.; Sharma, Ramphal

2016-05-01

Nanostructured Polypyrrole thin film was synthesized by easy and economic chemical oxidative polymerization technique on glass at room temperature. The prepared thin film of Polypyrrole was characterized by optical absorbance study by UV-visible spectroscopy and electrical study by I-V measurement system. The optical absorbance spectrum of Polypyrrole shows two fundamental peaks in region of 420 and 890 nm, which confirms the formation of Polypyrrole on glass substrate. The I-V graph of nanostructured Polypyrrole represents the Ohmic nature. Furthermore, the thin film of Polypyrrole was investigated by Scanning electron microscopy for surface morphology study. The SEM micrograph represents spherical nanostructured morphology of Polypyrrole on glass substrate. In order to investigate gas sensing properties, 100 ppm of LPG, Ammonia and Nitrogen Dioxide were injected in the gas chamber and magnitude of resistance has been recorded as a function of time in second. It was observed that nanostructured Polypyrrole thin film shows good sensing behavior at room temperature.

Size-Induced Switching of Nanowire Growth Direction: a New Approach Toward Kinked Nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Shen, Youde

2016-04-26

Exploring self-assembled nanostructures with controllable architectures has been a central theme in nanoscience and nanotechnology because of the tantalizing perspective of directly integrating such bottom-up nanostructures into functional devices. Here, the growth of kinked single-crystal In2O3 nanostructures consisting of a nanocone base and a nanowire tip with an epitaxial and defect-free transition is demonstrated for the first time. By tailoring the growth conditions, a reliable switching of the growth direction from [111] to [110] or [112] is observed when the Au catalyst nanoparticles at the apexes of the nanocones shrink below ≈100 nm. The natural formation of kinked nanoarchitectures at constant growth pressures is related to the size-dependent free energy that changes for different orientations of the nanowires. The results suggest that the mechanism of forming such kinked nanocone-nanowire nanostructures in well-controlled growth environment may be universal for a wide range of functional materials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

LPG ammonia and nitrogen dioxide gas sensing properties of nanostructured polypyrrole thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bagul, Sagar B., E-mail: nano.sbbagul@gmail.com; Upadhye, Deepak S.; Sharma, Ramphal, E-mail: rps.phy@gmail.com [Thin Film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Nanotechnology, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad (India)

2016-05-06

Nanostructured Polypyrrole thin film was synthesized by easy and economic chemical oxidative polymerization technique on glass at room temperature. The prepared thin film of Polypyrrole was characterized by optical absorbance study by UV-visible spectroscopy and electrical study by I-V measurement system. The optical absorbance spectrum of Polypyrrole shows two fundamental peaks in region of 420 and 890 nm, which confirms the formation of Polypyrrole on glass substrate. The I-V graph of nanostructured Polypyrrole represents the Ohmic nature. Furthermore, the thin film of Polypyrrole was investigated by Scanning electron microscopy for surface morphology study. The SEM micrograph represents spherical nanostructured morphology of Polypyrrole on glass substrate. In order to investigate gas sensing properties, 100 ppm of LPG, Ammonia and Nitrogen Dioxide were injected in the gas chamber and magnitude of resistance has been recorded as a function of time in second. It was observed that nanostructured Polypyrrole thin film shows good sensing behavior at room temperature.

Size-Induced Switching of Nanowire Growth Direction: a New Approach Toward Kinked Nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Shen, Youde; Lebedev, Oleg I.; Turner, Stuart; Van Tendeloo, Gustaaf; Song, Xiaohui; Yu, Xuechao; Wang, Qijie; Chen, Hongyu; Dayeh, Shadi A.; Wu, Tao

2016-01-01

Exploring self-assembled nanostructures with controllable architectures has been a central theme in nanoscience and nanotechnology because of the tantalizing perspective of directly integrating such bottom-up nanostructures into functional devices. Here, the growth of kinked single-crystal In2O3 nanostructures consisting of a nanocone base and a nanowire tip with an epitaxial and defect-free transition is demonstrated for the first time. By tailoring the growth conditions, a reliable switching of the growth direction from [111] to [110] or [112] is observed when the Au catalyst nanoparticles at the apexes of the nanocones shrink below ≈100 nm. The natural formation of kinked nanoarchitectures at constant growth pressures is related to the size-dependent free energy that changes for different orientations of the nanowires. The results suggest that the mechanism of forming such kinked nanocone-nanowire nanostructures in well-controlled growth environment may be universal for a wide range of functional materials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Three-Dimensional ZnO Hierarchical Nanostructures: Solution Phase Synthesis and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoliang Wang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Zinc oxide (ZnO nanostructures have been studied extensively in the past 20 years due to their novel electronic, photonic, mechanical and electrochemical properties. Recently, more attention has been paid to assemble nanoscale building blocks into three-dimensional (3D complex hierarchical structures, which not only inherit the excellent properties of the single building blocks but also provide potential applications in the bottom-up fabrication of functional devices. This review article focuses on 3D ZnO hierarchical nanostructures, and summarizes major advances in the solution phase synthesis, applications in environment, and electrical/electrochemical devices. We present the principles and growth mechanisms of ZnO nanostructures via different solution methods, with an emphasis on rational control of the morphology and assembly. We then discuss the applications of 3D ZnO hierarchical nanostructures in photocatalysis, field emission, electrochemical sensor, and lithium ion batteries. Throughout the discussion, the relationship between the device performance and the microstructures of 3D ZnO hierarchical nanostructures will be highlighted. This review concludes with a personal perspective on the current challenges and future research.

A Versatile Route for the Synthesis of Nickel Oxide Nanostructures Without Organics at Low Temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shah MA

2008-01-01

Full Text Available AbstractNickel oxide nanoparticles and nanoflowers have been synthesized by a soft reaction of nickel powder and water without organics at 100 °C. The mechanism for the formation of nanostructures is briefly described in accordance with decomposition of metal with water giving out hydrogen. The structure, morphology, and the crystalline phase of resulting nanostructures have been characterized by various techniques. Compared with other methods, the present method is simple, fast, economical, template-free, and without organics. In addition, the approach is nontoxic without producing hazardous waste and could be expanded to provide a general and convenient strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures to other functional nanomaterials.

Nanostructured Double Hydrophobic Poly(Styrene-b-Methyl Methacrylate) Block Copolymer Membrane Manufactured Via Phase Inversion Technique

KAUST Repository

Karunakaran, Madhavan; Shevate, Rahul; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2016-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the formation of nanostructured double hydrophobic poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymer membranes via state-of-the-art phase inversion technique. The nanostructured membrane morphologies are tuned by different solvent and block copolymer compositions. The membrane morphology has been investigated using FESEM, AFM and TEM. Morphological investigation shows the formation of both cylindrical and lamellar structures on the top surface of the block copolymer membranes. The PS-b-PMMA having an equal block length (PS160K-b-PMMA160K) exhibits both cylindrical and lamellar structures on the top layer of the asymmetric membrane. All membranes fabricated from PS160K-b-PMMA160K shows an incomplete pore formation in both cylindrical and lamellar morphologies during the phase inversion process. However, PS-b-PMMA (PS135K-b-PMMA19.5K) block copolymer having a short PMMA block allowed us to produce open pore structures with ordered hexagonal cylindrical pores during the phase inversion process. The resulting PS-b-PMMA nanostructured block copolymer membranes have pure water flux from 105-820 l/m2.h.bar and 95% retention of PEG50K

Nanostructured Double Hydrophobic Poly(Styrene-b-Methyl Methacrylate) Block Copolymer Membrane Manufactured Via Phase Inversion Technique

KAUST Repository

Karunakaran, Madhavan

2016-03-11

In this paper, we demonstrate the formation of nanostructured double hydrophobic poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymer membranes via state-of-the-art phase inversion technique. The nanostructured membrane morphologies are tuned by different solvent and block copolymer compositions. The membrane morphology has been investigated using FESEM, AFM and TEM. Morphological investigation shows the formation of both cylindrical and lamellar structures on the top surface of the block copolymer membranes. The PS-b-PMMA having an equal block length (PS160K-b-PMMA160K) exhibits both cylindrical and lamellar structures on the top layer of the asymmetric membrane. All membranes fabricated from PS160K-b-PMMA160K shows an incomplete pore formation in both cylindrical and lamellar morphologies during the phase inversion process. However, PS-b-PMMA (PS135K-b-PMMA19.5K) block copolymer having a short PMMA block allowed us to produce open pore structures with ordered hexagonal cylindrical pores during the phase inversion process. The resulting PS-b-PMMA nanostructured block copolymer membranes have pure water flux from 105-820 l/m2.h.bar and 95% retention of PEG50K

Synthesis of Pt–Pd Bimetallic Porous Nanostructures as Electrocatalysts for the Methanol Oxidation Reaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Yang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Pt-based bimetallic nanostructures have attracted a great deal of attention due to their unique nanostructures and excellent catalytic properties. In this study, we prepared porous Pt–Pd nanoparticles using an efficient, one-pot co-reduction process without using any templates or toxic reactants. In this process, Pt–Pd nanoparticles with different nanostructures were obtained by adjusting the temperature and ratio of the two precursors; and their catalytic properties for the oxidation of methanol were studied. The porous Pt–Pd nanostructures showed better electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of methanol with a higher current density (0.67 mA/cm2, compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst (0.31 mA/cm2. This method provides one easy pathway to economically prepare different alloy nanostructures for various applications.

GaN and ZnO nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuendling, Soenke; Soekmen, Uensal; Behrends, Arne; Al-Suleiman, Mohamed Aid Mansur; Merzsch, Stephan; Li, Shunfeng; Bakin, Andrey; Wehmann, Hergo-Heinrich; Waag, Andreas [Institut fuer Halbleitertechnik, Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Braunschweig (Germany); Laehnemann, Jonas; Jahn, Uwe; Trampert, Achim; Riechert, Henning [Paul-Drude-Institut fuer Festkoerperelektronik, Berlin (Germany)

2010-10-15

GaN and ZnO are both wide band gap semiconductors with interesting properties concerning optoelectronic and sensor device applications. Due to the lack or the high costs of native substrates, alternatives like sapphire, silicon, or silicon carbide are taken, but the resulting lattice and thermal mismatches lead to increased defect densities which reduce the material quality. In contrast, nanostructures with high aspect ratio have lower defect densities as compared to layers. In this work, we give an overview on our results achieved on both ZnO as well as GaN based nanorods. ZnO nanostructures were grown by a wet chemical approach as well as by VPT on different substrates - even on flexible polymers. To compare the growth results we analyzed the structures by XRD and PL and show possible device applications. The GaN nano- and microstructures were grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy either in a self-organized process or by selective area growth for a better control of shape and material composition. Finally we take a look onto possible device applications, presenting our attempts, e.g., to build LEDs based on GaN nanostructures. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Chemical solution route to self-assembled epitaxial oxide nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Obradors, X; Puig, T; Gibert, M; Queraltó, A; Zabaleta, J; Mestres, N

2014-04-07

Self-assembly of oxides as a bottom-up approach to functional nanostructures goes beyond the conventional nanostructure formation based on lithographic techniques. Particularly, chemical solution deposition (CSD) is an ex situ growth approach very promising for high throughput nanofabrication at low cost. Whereas strain engineering as a strategy to define nanostructures with tight control of size, shape and orientation has been widely used in metals and semiconductors, it has been rarely explored in the emergent field of functional complex oxides. Here we will show that thermodynamic modeling can be very useful to understand the principles controlling the growth of oxide nanostructures by CSD, and some attractive kinetic features will also be presented. The methodology of strain engineering is applied in a high degree of detail to form different sorts of nanostructures (nanodots, nanowires) of the oxide CeO2 with fluorite structure which then is used as a model system to identify the principles controlling self-assembly and self-organization in CSD grown oxides. We also present, more briefly, the application of these ideas to other oxides such as manganites or BaZrO3. We will show that the nucleation and growth steps are essentially understood and manipulated while the kinetic phenomena underlying the evolution of the self-organized networks are still less widely explored, even if very appealing effects have been already observed. Overall, our investigation based on a CSD approach has opened a new strategy towards a general use of self-assembly and self-organization which can now be widely spread to many functional oxide materials.

Optical instabilities and chaos due to the virtual formation of biexcitons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Trung Dan.

1994-07-01

Optical instabilities and chaos due to virtual formation of biexcitons in optically excited semiconductors are investigated. A complete linear stability analysis of steady-state bistable solutions of nonlinear coupled differential equations describing the nonlinear dynamics of semiconductors is carried out. The dynamical solutions are studied numerically using an iterative procedure. (author). 20 refs, 3 figs

Injection moulding antireflective nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Alexander Bruun; Clausen, Jeppe Sandvik; Mortensen, N. Asger

2014-01-01

We present a method for injection moulding antireflective nanostructures on large areas, for high volume production. Nanostructured black silicon masters were fabricated by mask-less reactive ion etching, and electroplated with nickel. The nickel shim was antistiction coated and used in an inject......We present a method for injection moulding antireflective nanostructures on large areas, for high volume production. Nanostructured black silicon masters were fabricated by mask-less reactive ion etching, and electroplated with nickel. The nickel shim was antistiction coated and used...

Injection moulding antireflective nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Alexander Bruun; Clausen, Jeppe Sandvik; Mortensen, N. Asger

We present a method for injection moulding antireflective nanostructures on large areas, for high volume production. Nanostructured black silicon masters were fabricated by mask-less reactive ion etching, and electroplated with nickel. The nickel shim was antistiction coated and used in an inject......We present a method for injection moulding antireflective nanostructures on large areas, for high volume production. Nanostructured black silicon masters were fabricated by mask-less reactive ion etching, and electroplated with nickel. The nickel shim was antistiction coated and used...

Structural and optical properties of CdO nanostructures prepared by atmospheric-pressure CVD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terasako, T.; Fujiwara, T.; Nakata, Y.; Yagi, M.; Shirakata, S.

2013-01-01

Cadmium oxide (CdO) nanostructures of various shapes were successfully grown on gold (Au) nanocolloid coated c-plane sapphire substrates by atmospheric-pressure CVD using Cd powder and H 2 O as source materials. CdO nanorods (NRs) exhibited tapered shapes and the degree of the tapering became larger with increasing substrate temperature. One of the possible reasons for the tapering behavior is the competition between the axial growth due to the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism and the radial growth due to the vapor–solid (VS) mechanism. The influence of the competition between the two different growth mechanisms was also confirmed on the appearance of “seaweed-like” NRs. Moreover, we cannot neglect the influence of the shrinkage of catalyst particles during the growth process on the tapering behavior. In addition, there is a possibility that the temporal evolution of catalyst particles, such as diffusion, splitting, migration and coalescence, contributes not only to the disappearance of catalyst particles on the tips of the NRs, resulting in the enhancement of the radial growth relative to the axial growth, but also to the formation of nanobelts (NBs) and nanotrees (NTs). Photoacoustic measurements revealed that the absorption edge shifts towards lower energies and the absorption band below the absorption edge becomes larger with increasing T S . This tendency may be due to the increase of intrinsic defects and/or the decrease in residual impurities. - Highlights: ► Various shapes of CdO nanostructures were grown by AP-CVD using Cd and H 2 O. ► This diversity is due to the competition between VLS and VS mechanisms. ► The temporal evolution of Au catalyst particles also contributes to the diversity. ► Photoacoustic spectra were changed, depending on the substrate temperature. ► This is probably related to the intrinsic defects and/or residual impurities

Self-assembled nanostructures

CERN Document Server

Zhang, Jin Z; Liu, Jun; Chen, Shaowei; Liu, Gang-yu

2003-01-01

Nanostructures refer to materials that have relevant dimensions on the nanometer length scales and reside in the mesoscopic regime between isolated atoms and molecules in bulk matter. These materials have unique physical properties that are distinctly different from bulk materials. Self-Assembled Nanostructures provides systematic coverage of basic nanomaterials science including materials assembly and synthesis, characterization, and application. Suitable for both beginners and experts, it balances the chemistry aspects of nanomaterials with physical principles. It also highlights nanomaterial-based architectures including assembled or self-assembled systems. Filled with in-depth discussion of important applications of nano-architectures as well as potential applications ranging from physical to chemical and biological systems, Self-Assembled Nanostructures is the essential reference or text for scientists involved with nanostructures.

Facile synthesis and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity of micro/nanostructured Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} hollow spheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Jin [School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan 430070 (China); The Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials and Applications, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001 (China); Zhang, Gaoke, E-mail: gkzhang@whut.edu.cn [School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan 430070 (China)

2015-03-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Micro/nanostructured Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} hollow spheres were synthesized by a facile method. • The formation mechanism for the Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} hollow spheres was investigated. • The catalyst exhibited an enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity. • The reactive species in the photocatalytic process were studied. - Abstract: Micro/nanostructured Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} hollow spheres were successfully synthesized by a one-step and low-temperature route under ambient pressure. The micro/nanostructured Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} hollow spheres have a diameter of 1–2 μm and their shells are composed of numerous nanoparticles and nanorods. The growth process of the micro/nanostructured Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} hollow spheres was investigated in detail. The results indicated that the morphologies and composition of Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} samples were strongly dependent on the dose of the AgNO{sub 3} and reaction time. Excessive AgNO{sub 3} was favorable for the nucleation and growth rate of Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} crystals and the formation of pure Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4}. Moreover, the formation mechanism of the micro/nanostructured Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} hollow spheres is related to the Ostwald ripening. Under the same conditions, the photocatalytic activity of micro/nanostructured Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} hollow spheres is about 1.7 times and 11 times higher than that of bulk Ag{sub 2}ZnGeO{sub 4} and Degussa P25, respectively. These interesting findings could provide new insight on the synthesis of micro/nanostructured ternary-metal oxides with enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Mixed-solvothermal synthesis of CdS micro/nanostructures and their optical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhong Shengliang, E-mail: zslxhx@yahoo.com.cn [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022 (China); Zhang Linfei; Huang Zhenzhong; Wang Shangping [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022 (China)

2011-01-15

Several novel cadmium sulfide (CdS) micro/nanostructures, including cauliflower-like microspheres, football-like microspheres, tower-like microrods, and dendrites were controllably prepared via an oxalic acid-assisted solvothermal route using ethylene glycol (EG) and H{sub 2}O as pure and mixed solvents with different S sources. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and UV-vis spectrophotometer (UV). It was found that CdS micro/nanostructures can be selectively obtained by varying the composition of solvent, concentration of oxalic acid, and sulfur sources. UV-vis absorption spectra reveal that their absorption properties are shape-dependent. The possible formation process of the CdS micro/nanostructures was briefly discussed. This route provides a facile way to tune the morphologies of CdS over a wide range.

Stable Au–C bonds to the substrate for fullerene-based nanostructures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taras Chutora

2017-05-01

Full Text Available We report on the formation of fullerene-derived nanostructures on Au(111 at room temperature and under UHV conditions. After low-energy ion sputtering of fullerene films deposited on Au(111, bright spots appear at the herringbone corner sites when measured using a scanning tunneling microscope. These features are stable at room temperature against diffusion on the surface. We carry out DFT calculations of fullerene molecules having one missing carbon atom to simulate the vacancies in the molecules resulting from the sputtering process. These modified fullerenes have an adsorption energy on the Au(111 surface that is 1.6 eV higher than that of C60 molecules. This increased binding energy arises from the saturation by the Au surface of the bonds around the molecular vacancy defect. We therefore interpret the observed features as adsorbed fullerene-derived molecules with C vacancies. This provides a pathway for the formation of fullerene-based nanostructures on Au at room temperature.

First-principle study of nanostructures of functionalized graphene

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We present first-principle calculations of 2D nanostructures of graphene functionalized with hydrogen and fluorine, respectively, in chair conformation. The partial density of states, band structure, binding energy and transverse displacement of C atoms due to functionalization (buckling) have been calculated within the ...

Synthesis of carbon nanostructures from high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste by chemical vapour deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Hatta, M. N. M.; Hashim, M. S.; Hussin, R.; Aida, S.; Kamdi, Z.; Ainuddin, AR; Yunos, MZ

2017-10-01

In this study, carbon nanostructures were synthesized from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste by single-stage chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method. In CVD, iron was used as catalyst and pyrolitic of carbon source was conducted at temperature 700, 800 and 900°C for 30 minutes. Argon gas was used as carrier gas with flow at 90 sccm. The synthesized carbon nanostructures were characterized by FESEM, EDS and calculation of carbon yield (%). FESEM micrograph shows that the carbon nanostructures were only grown as nanofilament when synthesized from PET waste. The synthesization of carbon nanostructure at 700°C was produced smooth and the smallest diameter nanofilament compared to others. The carbon yield of synthesized carbon nanostructures from PET was lower from HDPE. Furthermore, the carbon yield is recorded to increase with increasing of reaction temperature for all samples. Elemental study by EDS analysis were carried out and the formation of carbon nanostructures was confirmed after CVD process. Utilization of polymer waste to produce carbon nanostructures is beneficial to ensure that the carbon nanotechnology will be sustained in future.

Blue-emitting photoluminescence of rod-like and needle-like ZnO nanostructures formed by hot-water treatment of sol–gel derived coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, Wai Kian, E-mail: tanwaikian@cie.ignite.tut.ac.jp [Center for International Education, Toyohashi University of Technology, Aichi, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan); Kawamura, Go; Muto, Hiroyuki [Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Aichi, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan); Abdul Razak, Khairunisak; Lockman, Zainovia [School of Materials and Mineral Resources, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang 14300 Malaysia (Malaysia); Matsuda, Atsunori, E-mail: matsuda@tut.ee.ac.jp [Center for International Education, Toyohashi University of Technology, Aichi, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan); Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Aichi, Toyohashi 441-8580 (Japan)

2015-02-15

The morphological evolution of the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures generated by hot-water treatment (HWT) of sol–gel derived coatings as a function of temperature from 30 to 90 °C was investigated. With increasing HWT temperature, the ZnO crystals evolved from nanoparticles to rod-like and needle-like nanostructures. High-resolution transmission electron microscope observations of rod-like and needle-like nanostructures generated at 60 and 90 °C indicated single crystal ZnO wurtzite structure was obtained. All the hot-water treated samples exhibited blue emission at approximately 440 nm in room temperature. The intensity of blue emission increased with higher HWT temperatures. The unique photoluminescence emission characteristic remained even after heat-treatment at 400 °C for 1 h. As the emission peak obtained in our work is approximately 440 nm (2.82 eV), the emission peak is corresponding to the electron transition from the interstitial Zn to the top of valence band. This facile formation of blue-emitting ZnO nanostructures at low-temperature can be utilized on substrate with low thermal stability for optoelectronic applications such as light emitting devices and biological fluorescence labeling. - Highlights: • Facile and novel formation of ZnO nanostructures by low temperature hot-water treatment. • No catalyst or inhibitor is used. • Evolution of ZnO nanostructures formation as a function of temperature is reported. • Dominant blue emissions are observed from the as-formed and annealed ZnO films. • Ultraviolet and visible emissions are observed for hot-water treated films.

Epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chaoliang; Chen, Junze; Wu, Xue-Jun; Zhang, Hua

2018-02-01

Hybrid nanostructures are a class of materials that are typically composed of two or more different components, in which each component has at least one dimension on the nanoscale. The rational design and controlled synthesis of hybrid nanostructures are of great importance in enabling the fine tuning of their properties and functions. Epitaxial growth is a promising approach to the controlled synthesis of hybrid nanostructures with desired structures, crystal phases, exposed facets and/or interfaces. This Review provides a critical summary of the state of the art in the field of epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures. We discuss the historical development, architectures and compositions, epitaxy methods, characterization techniques and advantages of epitaxial hybrid nanostructures. Finally, we provide insight into future research directions in this area, which include the epitaxial growth of hybrid nanostructures from a wider range of materials, the study of the underlying mechanism and determining the role of epitaxial growth in influencing the properties and application performance of hybrid nanostructures.

Synthesis of gold nanostructures using fruit extract of Garcinia Indica

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnaprabha, M.; Pattabi, Manjunatha

2016-05-01

Gold nanoparticles having different shapes are synthesized using extract of fresh fruit rinds of Garcinia Indica. The onset of growth and formation of gold nanostructures is confirmed from UV-Vis spectroscopy. Morphological studies are done using FESEM. Size dependent catalytic activity is evaluated with the model reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol.

Fabrication of Semiconductor ZnO Nanostructures for Versatile SERS Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lili Yang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Since the initial discovery of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS in the 1970s, it has exhibited a huge potential application in many fields due to its outstanding advantages. Since the ultra-sensitive noble metallic nanostructures have increasingly exposed themselves as having some problems during application, semiconductors have been gradually exploited as one of the critical SERS substrate materials due to their distinctive advantages when compared with noble metals. ZnO is one of the most representative metallic oxide semiconductors with an abundant reserve, various and cost-effective fabrication techniques, as well as special physical and chemical properties. Thanks to the varied morphologies, size-dependent exciton, good chemical stability, a tunable band gap, carrier concentration, and stoichiometry, ZnO nanostructures have the potential to be exploited as SERS substrates. Moreover, other distinctive properties possessed by ZnO such as biocompatibility, photocatcalysis and self-cleaning, and gas- and chemo-sensitivity can be synergistically integrated and exerted with SERS activity to realize the multifunctional potential of ZnO substrates. In this review, we discuss the inevitable development trend of exploiting the potential semiconductor ZnO as a SERS substrate. After clarifying the root cause of the great disparity between the enhancement factor (EF of noble metals and that of ZnO nanostructures, two specific methods are put forward to improve the SERS activity of ZnO, namely: elemental doping and combination of ZnO with noble metals. Then, we introduce a distinctive advantage of ZnO as SERS substrate and illustrate the necessity of reporting a meaningful average EF. We also summarize some fabrication methods for ZnO nanostructures with varied dimensions (0–3 dimensions. Finally, we present an overview of ZnO nanostructures for the versatile SERS application.

Micro-‘‘factory’’ for self-assembled peptide nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castillo, Jaime; Rodriguez-Trujíllo, Romén; Gauthier, Sébastian

2011-01-01

This study describes an integrated micro ‘‘factory’’ for the preparation of biological self-assembled peptide nanotubes and nanoparticles on a polymer chip, yielding controlled growth conditions. Self-assembled peptides constitute attractive building blocks for the fabrication of biological...... nanostructures due to the mild conditions of their synthesis process. This biological material can form nanostructures in a rapid way and the synthesis method is less expensive as compared to that of carbon nanotubes or silicon nanowires. The present article thus reports on the on-chip fabrication of self-assembled...

SWAXS investigations on diffuse boundary nanostructures of metallic nanoparticles synthesized by electrical discharges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Xiaoai, E-mail: xiaoai.guo@kit.edu; Gutsche, Alexander; Nirschl, Hermann [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics (Germany)

2013-11-15

Metallic nanoparticles have attracted a particular interest in scientific research and industrial applications due to their unique size-dependent physical and chemical properties. An eco-friendly and cost-effective synthesis method called electrical discharge enables large scale production of metallic nanoparticles. Systematic investigations of such synthesized metallic nanoparticles help to optimize the synthesis process and improve the product quality. In this work, for the first time we have investigated the diffuse interfacial boundary nanostructures of the metallic nanoparticles, which were synthesized under different conditions by electrical glow and arc discharges in the carrier gas, by means of a small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) technique using a laboratory X-ray source. Meanwhile, this unique SWAXS technique allows simultaneous study of the primary particle size, morphology, and crystallinity. The metallic nanoparticles (copper and nickel) under investigation cover a size range of 10–80 nm, and the determined thickness of the diffuse boundary nanostructured layer of metallic nanoparticles is in the range of 1–3 nm. The experimental results obtained by SWAXS were compared to the TEM/EDX observation and the XRD reference patterns from RRUFF database, and a good agreement was found. Our SWAXS investigations indicated that the existence of a diffuse nanostructured solid layer on the synthesized metallic nanoparticle surface causes a negative deviation of the scattering intensity (Ι∝q{sup -α}, α>4) from Porod’s law which corresponds to the case of ideal two-phase particle systems with sharp boundaries (Ι∝q{sup -α}, α=4) . This implies that the electron density profile is not sharp but changes gradually between two phases, and hence the exponent α is greater than four. Two electron density profile models, sigmoidal electron-density gradient model and linear electron-density gradient model, have been taken into account in

Ion induced segregation in gold nanostructured thin films on silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghatak, J.; Satyam, P.V.

2008-01-01

We report a direct observation of segregation of gold atoms to the near surface regime due to 1.5 MeV Au 2+ ion impact on isolated gold nanostructures deposited on silicon. Irradiation at fluences of 6 x 10 13 , 1 x 10 14 and 5 x 10 14 ions cm -2 at a high beam flux of 6.3 x 10 12 ions cm -2 s -1 show a maximum transported distance of gold atoms into the silicon substrate to be 60, 45 and 23 nm, respectively. At a lower fluence (6 x 10 13 ions cm -2 ) transport has been found to be associated with the formation of gold silicide (Au 5 Si 2 ). At a high fluence value of 5 x 10 14 ions cm -2 , disassociation of gold silicide and out-diffusion lead to the segregation of gold to defect - rich surface and interface regions.

In situ transmission electron microscope observation of the formation of fuzzy structures on tungsten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyamoto, M; Watanabe, T; Nagashima, H; Nishijima, D; Doerner, R P; Krasheninnikov, S I; Sagara, A; Yoshida, N

2014-01-01

To investigate the formation processes of tungsten nano-structures, so called fuzz, in situ transmission electron microscope observations during helium ion irradiation and high temperature annealing have been performed. The irradiation with 3 keV He + from room temperature to 1273 K is found to cause high-density helium bubbles in tungsten with no significant change in the surface structure. At higher temperatures, surface morphology changes were observed even without helium irradiation due probably to surface diffusion of tungsten atoms driven by surface tension. It is clearly shown that this morphology change is enhanced with helium irradiation, i.e. the formation of helium bubbles. (paper)

Nanostructured electrocatalyst for fuel cells : silica templated synthesis of Pt/C composites.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stechel, Ellen Beth; Switzer, Elise E.; Fujimoto, Cy H.; Atanassov, Plamen Borissov; Cornelius, Christopher James; Hibbs, Michael R.

2007-09-01

Platinum-based electrocatalysts are currently required for state-of-the-art fuel cells and represent a significant portion of the overall fuel cell cost. If fuel cell technology is to become competitive with other energy conversion technologies, improve the utilization of precious metal catalysts is essential. A primary focus of this work is on creating enhanced nanostructured materials which improve precious-metal utilization. The goal is to engineer superior electrocatalytic materials through the synthesis, development and investigation of novel templated open frame structures synthesized in an aerosol-based approach. Bulk templating methods for both Pt/C and Pt-Ru composites are evaluated in this study and are found to be limited due to the fact that the nanostructure is not maintained throughout the entire sample. Therefore, an accurate examination of structural effects was previously impossible. An aerosol-based templating method of synthesizing nanostructured Pt-Ru electrocatalysts has been developed wherein the effects of structure can be related to electrocatalytic performance. The aerosol-based templating method developed in this work is extremely versatile as it can be conveniently modified to synthesize alternative materials for other systems. The synthesis method was able to be extended to nanostructured Pt-Sn for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. Nanostructured Pt-Sn electrocatalysts were evaluated in a unique approach tailored to electrocatalytic studies in alkaline media. At low temperatures, nanostructured Pt-Sn electrocatalysts were found to have significantly higher ethanol oxidation activity than a comparable nanostructured Pt catalyst. At higher temperatures, the oxygen-containing species contribution likely provided by Sn is insignificant due to a more oxidized Pt surface. The importance of the surface coverage of oxygen-containing species in the reaction mechanism is established in these studies. The investigations in this work present

Alveolar bone repair with strontium- containing nanostructured carbonated hydroxyapatite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Boziki Xavier do Carmo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to evaluate bone repair in rat dental sockets after implanting nanostructured carbonated hydroxyapatite/sodium alginate (CHA and nanostructured carbonated hydroxyapatite/sodium alginate containing 5% strontium microspheres (SrCHA as bone substitute materials. Methods: Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two experimental groups: CHA and SrCHA (n=5/period/group. After one and 6 weeks of extraction of the right maxillary central incisor and biomaterial implantation, 5 μm bone blocks were obtained for histomorphometric evaluation. The parameters evaluated were remaining biomaterial, loose connective tissue and newly formed bone in a standard area. Statistical analysis was performed by Mann-Withney and and Wilcoxon tests at 95% level of significance. Results: The histomorphometric results showed that the microspheres showed similar fragmentation and bio-absorbation (p>0.05. We observed the formation of new bones in both groups during the same experimental periods; however, the new bone formation differed significantly between the weeks 1 and 6 (p=0.0039 in both groups. Conclusion: The CHA and SrCHA biomaterials were biocompatible, osteoconductive and bioabsorbable, indicating their great potential for clinical use as bone substitutes.

Optoelectronic and thermoelectric properties in Ga doped {beta}- PbS{sub 2} nanostructured thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geethu, R.; Jacob, Rajani [Thin Film Research Lab, U.C. College, Aluva, Cochin, Kerala (India); Shripathi, T.; Okram, G.S.; Ganesan, V.; Tripathi, Shilpa; Fatima, Anees [UGC-DAE CSR, Khandwa Road, Indore-452 001, Madhya Pradesh (India); Sreenivasan, P.V. [Department of Chemistry, U.C. College, Aluva, Cochin, Kerala (India); Urmila, K.S.; Pradeep, B. [Solid State Physics Laboratory, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, Kerala (India); Philip, Rachel Reena, E-mail: reenatara@rediffmail.com [Thin Film Research Lab, U.C. College, Aluva, Cochin, Kerala (India)

2012-06-15

Lead sulphide nanostructured thin films were grown on soda lime glass substrates by chemical bath deposition. The films were then doped with gallium using vacuum evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) established the structural type of the host films to be tetragonal {beta}-PbS{sub 2} with average grain size of the order of 15 nm. The nanostructure of films was further confirmed from scanning electron and atomic force micrographs. The shift in the binding energies of the 4f and 4d states of lead, 2p state of sulphur and the 2p states of Ga from their elemental binding energy values, determined from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), indicated intact chemical bonding in the compound. Compositional analysis showed about 0.01% doping of Ga into PbS{sub 2}. Low temperature thermopower measurements indicated p-type conductivity for the films with Fermi level positioned at about 0.017 eV above the maxima of valence band. Optical absorption studies in conjunction with photo sensitivity measurements established its pertinence in junction formation in photovoltaic applications due to the blue shift in the band gap to 2.37 eV and the increased photoconductivity of the films.

Two-color beam improvement of the colloidal particle lens array assisted surface nanostructuring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Afanasiev, Andrei; Bredikhin, Vladimir; Pikulin, Alexander; Ilyakov, Igor; Shishkin, Boris; Akhmedzhanov, Rinat; Bityurin, Nikita, E-mail: bit@ufp.appl.sci-nnov.ru [Institute of Applied Physics of Russian Academy of Scienses, 46, Ul' yanov St., Nizhniy Novgorod 603950 (Russian Federation)

2015-05-04

We consider laser nanostructuring of the material surface by means of a colloidal particle lens array. Here, the monolayer of dielectric micro- or nanospheres placed on the surface acts as an array of near-field lenses that focus the laser radiation into the multitude of distinct spots, allowing the formation of many structures in a single stage. We show that conversion of a small part of the energy of the femtosecond beam into the second harmonic (SH) is an efficient way to increase the surface density of obtained nanostructures. By combining the fundamental frequency and the SH, one benefits both from the power of the former and from the focusing ability of the latter. This combination provides an efficient nanostructuring with sphere diameter close to the wavelength of the second harmonic. The possibility to create arrays of nanostructures with surface density above 5×10{sup 8} cm{sup −2} with femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser operating at 800 nm was demonstrated by employing 0.45 μm spheres.

RHEED transmission mode and pole figures thin film and nanostructure texture analysis

CERN Document Server

Wang, Gwo-Ching

2014-01-01

This unique book covers the fundamental principle of electron diffraction, basic instrumentation of RHEED, definitions of textures in thin films and nanostructures, mechanisms and control of texture formation, and examples of RHEED transmission mode measurements of texture and texture evolution of thin films and nanostructures. Also presented is a new application of RHEED in the transmission mode called RHEED pole figure technique that can be used to monitor the texture evolution in thin film growth and nanostructures and is not limited to single crystal epitaxial film growth. Details of the construction of RHEED pole figures and the interpretation of observed pole figures are presented.  Materials covered include metals, semiconductors, and thin insulators. This book also: Presents a new application of RHEED in the transmission mode Introduces a variety of textures from metals, semiconductors, compound semiconductors, and their characteristics in RHEED pole figures Provides examples of RHEED measurements o...

Growth of hybrid carbon nanostructures on iron-decorated ZnO nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Mbuyisa, Puleng N.; Rigoni, Federica; Sangaletti, Luigi; Ponzoni, Stefano; Pagliara, Stefania; Goldoni, Andrea; Ndwandwe, Muzi; Cepek, Cinzia

2016-04-01

A novel carbon-based nanostructured material, which includes carbon nanotubes (CNTs), porous carbon, nanostructured ZnO and Fe nanoparticles, has been synthetized using catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of acetylene on vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs). The deposition of Fe before the CVD process induces the presence of dense CNTs in addition to the variety of nanostructures already observed on the process done on the bare NRs, which range from amorphous graphitic carbon up to nanostructured dendritic carbon films, where the NRs are partially or completely etched. The combination of scanning electron microscopy and in situ photoemission spectroscopy indicate that Fe enhances the ZnO etching, and that the CNT synthesis is favoured by the reduced Fe mobility due to the strong interaction between Fe and the NRs, and to the presence of many defects, formed during the CVD process. Our results demonstrate that the resulting new hybrid shows a higher sensitivity to ammonia gas at ambient conditions (∼60 ppb) than the carbon nanostructures obtained without the aid of Fe, the bare ZnO NRs, or other one-dimensional carbon nanostructures, making this system of potential interest for environmental ammonia monitoring. Finally, in view of the possible application in nanoscale optoelectronics, the photoexcited carrier behaviour in these hybrid systems has been characterized by time-resolved reflectivity measurements.

Simulataneous Formation of InGaN Nanostructures with Varying Shapes for White Light Source Applications

KAUST Repository

Gasim, Anwar A.; Bhattacharya, Pallab K.; Cha, Dong Kyu; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.

2012-01-01

Varying shapes of InGaN nanostructures were simultaneously formed on silicon epitaxially. The nanowires and nanomushrooms emit violet-blue light, and broad yellow-orange-red luminescence, respectively. The combination of which is promising for white light emission.

Near-field scanning optical microscopy based nanostructuring of glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chimmalgi, A; Hwang, D J; Grigoropoulos, C P

2007-01-01

Nanofabrication, at lateral resolutions beyond the capability of conventional optical lithography techniques, is demonstrated here. Femtosecond laser was used in conjunction with Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopes (NSOMs) to nanostructure thin metal films. Also, the possibility of using these nanostructured metal films as masks to effectively transfer the pattern to the underlying substrate by wet etching process is shown. Two different optical nearfiled processing schemes were studied for near-field nanostructuring. In the first scheme, local field enhancement in the near-field of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) probe tip irradiated with femtosecond laser pulses was utilized (apertureless NSOM mode) and as a second approach, femtosecond laser beam was spatially confined by cantilevered NSOM fiber tip (apertured NOSM mode). The minimized heat- and shock-affected areas introduced during ultrafast laser based machining process, allows processing of even high conductivity thin metal films with minimized formation of any interfacial compounds between the metal films and the underlying substrate. Potential applications of this method may be in the fields of nanolithography, nanofluidics, nanoscale chemical and gas sensors, high-density data storage, nano-opto-electronics, as well as biotechnology related applications

Nanostructured materials for hydrogen storage

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Andrew J.; Reboredo, Fernando A.

2007-12-04

A system for hydrogen storage comprising a porous nano-structured material with hydrogen absorbed on the surfaces of the porous nano-structured material. The system of hydrogen storage comprises absorbing hydrogen on the surfaces of a porous nano-structured semiconductor material.

On the Response of Nascent Soot Nanostructure and Oxidative Reactivity to Photoflash Exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Wang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Soot particles are a kind of major pollutant from fuel combustion. To enrich the understanding of soot, this work focuses on investigating detailed influences of instantaneous external irradiation (conventional photoflash exposure on nanostructure as well as oxidation reactivity of nascent soot particles. By detailed soot characterizations flash can reduce the mass of soot and soot nanostructure can be reconstructed substantially without burning. After flash, the degree of soot crystallization increases while the soot reactive rate decreases and the activation energy increases. In addition, nanostructure and oxidative reactivity of soot in air and Ar after flash are different due to their different thermal conductivities.

Review of Fabrication Methods, Physical Properties, and Applications of Nanostructured Copper Oxides Formed via Electrochemical Oxidation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wojciech J. Stepniowski

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Typically, anodic oxidation of metals results in the formation of hexagonally arranged nanoporous or nanotubular oxide, with a specific oxidation state of the transition metal. Recently, the majority of transition metals have been anodized; however, the formation of copper oxides by electrochemical oxidation is yet unexplored and offers numerous, unique properties and applications. Nanowires formed by copper electrochemical oxidation are crystalline and composed of cuprous (CuO or cupric oxide (Cu2O, bringing varied physical and chemical properties to the nanostructured morphology and different band gaps: 1.44 and 2.22 eV, respectively. According to its Pourbaix (potential-pH diagram, the passivity of copper occurs at ambient and alkaline pH. In order to grow oxide nanostructures on copper, alkaline electrolytes like NaOH and KOH are used. To date, no systemic study has yet been reported on the influence of the operating conditions, such as the type of electrolyte, its temperature, and applied potential, on the morphology of the grown nanostructures. However, the numerous reports gathered in this paper will provide a certain view on the matter. After passivation, the formed nanostructures can be also post-treated. Post-treatments employ calcinations or chemical reactions, including the chemical reduction of the grown oxides. Nanostructures made of CuO or Cu2O have a broad range of potential applications. On one hand, with the use of surface morphology, the wetting contact angle is tuned. On the other hand, the chemical composition (pure Cu2O and high surface area make such materials attractive for renewable energy harvesting, including water splitting. While compared to other fabrication techniques, self-organized anodization is a facile, easy to scale-up, time-efficient approach, providing high-aspect ratio one-dimensional (1D nanostructures. Despite these advantages, there are still numerous challenges that have to be faced, including the

Synthesis, characterization and biological studies of copper oxide nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Jillani, Saquf; Jelani, Mohsan; Hassan, Najam Ul; Ahmad, Shahbaz; Hafeez, Muhammad

2018-04-01

The development of synthetic methods has been broadly accepted as an area of fundamental importance to the understanding and application of nanoscale materials. It allows the individual to modulate basic parameters such as morphology, particle size, size distributions, and composition. Several methods have been developed to synthesize CuO nanostructures with diverse morphologies, sizes, and dimensions using different chemical and physical based approaches. In this work, CuO nanostructures have been synthesized by aqueous precipitation method and simple chemical deposition method. The characterization of these products has been carried out by the x-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and UV–vis spectroscopy. Biological activity such as antibacterial nature of synthesized CuO is also explored. XRD peaks analysis revealed the monoclinic crystalline phase of copper oxide nanostructures. While the rod-like and particle-like morphologies have been observed in SEM results. FTIR spectra have confirmed the formation of CuO nanoparticles by exhibiting its characteristic peaks corresponding to 494 cm‑1 and 604 cm‑1. The energy band gap of the as-prepared CuO nanostructures determined from UV–vis spectra is found to be 2.18 eV and 2.0 eV for precipitation and chemically deposited samples respectively. The antibacterial activity results described that the synthesized CuO nanoparticles showed better activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The investigated results suggested the synthesis of highly stable CuO nanoparticles with significant antibacterial activities.

Broadband solar absorption enhancement via periodic nanostructuring of electrodes.

KAUST Repository

Adachi, Michael M; Labelle, André J; Thon, Susanna M; Lan, Xinzheng; Hoogland, Sjoerd; Sargent, Edward H

2013-01-01

Solution processed colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells have great potential for large area low-cost photovoltaics. However, light utilization remains low mainly due to the tradeoff between small carrier transport lengths and longer infrared photon absorption lengths. Here, we demonstrate a bottom-illuminated periodic nanostructured CQD solar cell that enhances broadband absorption without compromising charge extraction efficiency of the device. We use finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations to study the nanostructure for implementation in a realistic device and then build proof-of-concept nanostructured solar cells, which exhibit a broadband absorption enhancement over the wavelength range of λ = 600 to 1,100 nm, leading to a 31% improvement in overall short-circuit current density compared to a planar device containing an approximately equal volume of active material. Remarkably, the improved current density is achieved using a light-absorber volume less than half that typically used in the best planar devices.

Broadband solar absorption enhancement via periodic nanostructuring of electrodes.

KAUST Repository

Adachi, Michael M

2013-10-14

Solution processed colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells have great potential for large area low-cost photovoltaics. However, light utilization remains low mainly due to the tradeoff between small carrier transport lengths and longer infrared photon absorption lengths. Here, we demonstrate a bottom-illuminated periodic nanostructured CQD solar cell that enhances broadband absorption without compromising charge extraction efficiency of the device. We use finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations to study the nanostructure for implementation in a realistic device and then build proof-of-concept nanostructured solar cells, which exhibit a broadband absorption enhancement over the wavelength range of λ = 600 to 1,100 nm, leading to a 31% improvement in overall short-circuit current density compared to a planar device containing an approximately equal volume of active material. Remarkably, the improved current density is achieved using a light-absorber volume less than half that typically used in the best planar devices.

The role of electrostatics and temperature on morphological transitions of hydrogel nanostructures self-assembled by peptide amphiphiles via molecular dynamics simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Iris W; Markegard, Cade B; Chu, Brian K; Nguyen, Hung D

2013-10-01

Smart biomaterials that are self-assembled from peptide amphiphiles (PA) are known to undergo morphological transitions in response to specific physiological stimuli. The design of such customizable hydrogels is of significant interest due to their potential applications in tissue engineering, biomedical imaging, and drug delivery. Using a novel coarse-grained peptide/polymer model, which has been validated by comparison of equilibrium conformations from atomistic simulations, large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are performed to examine the spontaneous self-assembly process. Starting from initial random configurations, these simulations result in the formation of nanostructures of various sizes and shapes as a function of the electrostatics and temperature. At optimal conditions, the self-assembly mechanism for the formation of cylindrical nanofibers is deciphered involving a series of steps: (1) PA molecules quickly undergo micellization whose driving force is the hydrophobic interactions between alkyl tails; (2) neighboring peptide residues within a micelle engage in a slow ordering process that leads to the formation of β-sheets exposing the hydrophobic core; (3) spherical micelles merge together through an end-to-end mechanism to form cylindrical nanofibers that exhibit high structural fidelity to the proposed structure based on experimental data. As the temperature and electrostatics vary, PA molecules undergo alternative kinetic mechanisms, resulting in the formation of a wide spectrum of nanostructures. A phase diagram in the electrostatics-temperature plane is constructed delineating regions of morphological transitions in response to external stimuli. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Leafy nanostructure PANI for material of supercapacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

XI Dong

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Nanostructure conducting polyaniline(PANI has great potential applications in supercapacitor electrode materials.In this paper,we report a template-free approach to synthesize PANI by a galvanostatic current procedure with a three-electrode configuration directly on indium-doped tin-oxide substrates (ITO.The morphology of product was characterized by Hitachi S-4800 field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM.Due to the nanostructure,the specific capacitance of PANI film with the thickness of 100nm were measured as high as 829 F/g and 667 F/g at a charge-discharge current density of 1 A/g and 10 A/g respectively.After 500 cycle charge-discharge test employed at the current density of 20 A/g the PANI film still had a 95.1% capacitance retention.

Low Thermal Budget Fabrication of III-V Quantum Nanostructures on Si Substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bietti, S; Somaschini, C; Sanguinetti, S; Koguchi, N; Isella, G; Chrastina, D; Fedorov, A

2010-01-01

We show the possibility to integrate high quality III-V quantum nanostructures tunable in shape and emission energy on Si-Ge Virtual Substrate. Strong photoemission is observed, also at room temperature, from two different kind of GaAs quantum nanostructures fabricated on Silicon substrate. Due to the low thermal budget of the procedure used for the fabrication of the active layer, Droplet Epitaxy is to be considered an excellent candidate for implementation of optoelectronic devices on CMOS circuits.

Nanostructure sword-like ZnO wires: Rapid synthesis and characterization through a microwave-assisted route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kajbafvala, Amir; Shayegh, Mohammad Reza; Mazloumi, Mahyar; Zanganeh, Saeid; Lak, Aidin; Mohajerani, Matin Sadat; Sadrnezhaad, S.K.

2009-01-01

Nanostructure sword-like ZnO wires with diameters of about 80-250 nm and the length of ∼1-4 μm have been synthesized by a fast, simple and template-free microwave-assisted method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and room temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements was used for characterization of the as-prepared products. The nanostructure sword-like ZnO wires have high crystallinity with the average crystallite size of about 53 nm and show a UV emission and a visible green band in their PL spectrum. The possible growth mechanism of the nanostructures along the crystallographic direction and subsequent formation of wires were also investigated

Preparation of cauliflower-like CdS/ZnS/ZnO nanostructure and its photoelectric properties

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhifeng; Guo, Keying; Wang, Yun; Zheng, Xuerong; Ya, Jing; Li, Junwei; Han, Li; Liu, Zhichao; Han, Jianhua

2014-06-01

Cauliflower-like CdS/ZnS/ZnO nanostructure is fabricated via a simple hydrothermal method. Factors such as concentration of reaction solution, reaction temperature, as well as reaction time in the synthetic process are investigated, and the working mechanism of the nanostructure is suggested. Hydrogen generation efficiency of 4.69 % at 0.29 V versus saturated calomel electrode is achieved using synthesized nanostructure as electrode due to the improved absorption and appropriate energy gap structure, which is confirmed by enhanced absorption spectrum. The expected products have potential application in photoelectrochemical water splitting.

CuO nanostructures on copper foil by a simple wet chemical route at room temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jana, S.; Das, S.; Das, N.S.; Chattopadhyay, K.K.

2010-01-01

Uniform CuO nanostructures have been synthesized on copper foil substrates by oxidation of Cu in alkaline condition by a simple wet chemical route at room temperature. By controlling the alkaline condition (pH value) different CuO nanostructures like nanoneedles, self-assembled nanoflowers and staking of flake-like structures were achieved. The phase formation and the composition of the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive analysis of X-ray studies. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies indicated that the samples were composed of CuO. The morphologies of the films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. A possible growth mechanism is also proposed here. Band gap energies of the nanostructures were determined from the optical reflectance spectra. The different CuO nanostructures showed good electron field emission properties with turn-on fields in the range 6-11.3 V μm -1 . The field emission current was significantly affected by the morphologies of the CuO films.

Composite silicon nanostructure arrays fabricated on optical fibre by chemical etching of multicrystal silicon film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuo, Zewen; Zhu, Kai; Ning, Lixin; Cui, Guanglei; Qu, Jun; Huang, Wanxia; Shi, Yi; Liu, Hong

2015-01-01

Integrating nanostructures onto optical fibers presents a promising strategy for developing new-fashioned devices and extending the scope of nanodevices’ applications. Here we report the first fabrication of a composite silicon nanostructure on an optical fiber. Through direct chemical etching using an H 2 O 2 /HF solution, multicrystal silicon films with columnar microstructures are etched into a vertically aligned, inverted-cone-like nanorod array embedded in a nanocone array. A faster dissolution rate of the silicon at the void-rich boundary regions between the columns is found to be responsible for the separation of the columns, and thus the formation of the nanostructure array. The morphology of the nanorods primarily depends on the microstructure of the columns in the film. Through controlling the microstructure of the as-grown film and the etching parameters, the structural control of the nanostructure is promising. This fabrication method can be extended to a larger length scale, and it even allows roll-to-roll processing. (paper)

Composite silicon nanostructure arrays fabricated on optical fibre by chemical etching of multicrystal silicon film.

Science.gov (United States)

Zuo, Zewen; Zhu, Kai; Ning, Lixin; Cui, Guanglei; Qu, Jun; Huang, Wanxia; Shi, Yi; Liu, Hong

2015-04-17

Integrating nanostructures onto optical fibers presents a promising strategy for developing new-fashioned devices and extending the scope of nanodevices' applications. Here we report the first fabrication of a composite silicon nanostructure on an optical fiber. Through direct chemical etching using an H2O2/HF solution, multicrystal silicon films with columnar microstructures are etched into a vertically aligned, inverted-cone-like nanorod array embedded in a nanocone array. A faster dissolution rate of the silicon at the void-rich boundary regions between the columns is found to be responsible for the separation of the columns, and thus the formation of the nanostructure array. The morphology of the nanorods primarily depends on the microstructure of the columns in the film. Through controlling the microstructure of the as-grown film and the etching parameters, the structural control of the nanostructure is promising. This fabrication method can be extended to a larger length scale, and it even allows roll-to-roll processing.

Effect of poly(ethylene oxide) homopolymer and two different poly(ethylene oxide-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers on morphological, optical, and mechanical properties of nanostructured unsaturated polyester.

Science.gov (United States)

Builes, Daniel H; Hernández-Ortiz, Juan P; Corcuera, Ma Angeles; Mondragon, Iñaki; Tercjak, Agnieszka

2014-01-22

Novel nanostructured unsaturated polyester resin-based thermosets, modified with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), and two poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymers (BCP), were developed and analyzed. The effects of molecular weights, blocks ratio, and curing temperatures on the final morphological, optical, and mechanical properties were reported. The block influence on the BCP miscibility was studied through uncured and cured mixtures of unsaturated polyester (UP) resins with PEO and PPO homopolymers having molecular weights similar to molecular weights of the blocks of BCP. The final morphology of the nanostructured thermosetting systems, containing BCP or homopolymers, was investigated, and multiple mechanisms of nanostructuration were listed and explained. By considering the miscibility of each block before and after curing, it was determined that the formation of the nanostructured matrices followed a self-assembly mechanism or a polymerization-induced phase separation mechanism. The miscibility between PEO or PPO blocks with one of two phases of UP matrix was highlighted due to its importance in the final thermoset properties. Relationships between the final morphology and thermoset optical and mechanical properties were examined. The mechanisms and physics behind the morphologies lead toward the design of highly transparent, nanostructured, and toughened thermosetting UP systems.

Hierarchical nanostructures assembled from ultrathin Bi2WO6 nanoflakes and their visible-light induced photocatalytic property

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Xiong; Tian, Peng; Lin, Ying; Li, Li

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Hierarchical Bi 2 WO 6 nanostructures assembled from nanoflakes were successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The excellent photocatalytic activity and recycling performance might be mainly ascribed to the unique hierarchical nanostructures and are expected to offer the nanostructures promising applications in the field of wastewater treatment. - Highlights: • Hierarchical Bi 2 WO 6 nanostructures assembled from nanoflakes were successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. • Visible-light-induced photocatalytic efficiency of the obtained nanoarchitectures was enhanced about 6 times. • A possible mechanism was proposed. - Abstract: With the aid of ethylene glycol and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, the hierarchical Bi 2 WO 6 nanoarchitectures assembled from nanoflakes could be attained by a facile solvothermal method. The synthetic strategy is versatile and environmentally friendly and a plausible growth-assembly process was proposed for the formation of the hierarchical nanostructures. The visible-light-irradiated photocatalytic activity was estimated by the degradation of rhodamine B. Compared with the sample prepared by a solid-state reaction, the visible-light-induced photocatalytic efficiency of the nanostructures was enhanced about 6 times. The photocatalysis tests show that the nanostructures exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity and recycling performance, which were mainly ascribed to the unique hierarchical nanostructures and are expected to offer promising applications in the field of wastewater treatment

Nanostructured Mineral Coatings Stabilize Proteins for Therapeutic Delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xiaohua; Biedrzycki, Adam H; Khalil, Andrew S; Hess, Dalton; Umhoefer, Jennifer M; Markel, Mark D; Murphy, William L

2017-09-01

Proteins tend to lose their biological activity due to their fragile structural conformation during formulation, storage, and delivery. Thus, the inability to stabilize proteins in controlled-release systems represents a major obstacle in drug delivery. Here, a bone mineral inspired protein stabilization strategy is presented, which uses nanostructured mineral coatings on medical devices. Proteins bound within the nanostructured coatings demonstrate enhanced stability against extreme external stressors, including organic solvents, proteases, and ethylene oxide gas sterilization. The protein stabilization effect is attributed to the maintenance of protein conformational structure, which is closely related to the nanoscale feature sizes of the mineral coatings. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) released from a nanostructured mineral coating maintains its biological activity for weeks during release, while it maintains activity for less than 7 d during release from commonly used polymeric microspheres. Delivery of the growth factors bFGF and vascular endothelial growth factor using a mineral coated surgical suture significantly improves functional Achilles tendon healing in a rabbit model, resulting in increased vascularization, more mature collagen fiber organization, and a two fold improvement in mechanical properties. The findings of this study demonstrate that biomimetic interactions between proteins and nanostructured minerals provide a new, broadly applicable mechanism to stabilize proteins in the context of drug delivery and regenerative medicine. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures using plasma electrolytic oxidation method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Yanan; Liu, Baodan, E-mail: baodanliu@imr.ac.cn; Zhai, Zhaofeng; Liu, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Bing; Liu, Lusheng; Jiang, Xin, E-mail: xjiang@imr.ac.cn

2015-11-30

Graphical abstract: A general strategy for the rational synthesis of tungstate nanostructure has been developed based on plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology (up). Using this method, ZnWO{sub 4} and NiWO{sub 4} nanostructures with controllable morphologies and superior crystallinity can be easily obtained (down), showing obvious advantage in comparison with conventional hydrothermal and sol–gel methods. - Highlights: • Plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) method has been used for the rational synthesis of tungstate nanostructures. • ZnWO{sub 4} nanoplates have strong mechanical adhesion with porous TiO{sub 2} film substrate. • The morphology and dimensional size of ZnWO{sub 4} nanostructures can be selectively tailored by controlling the annealing temperature and growth time. • The PEO method can be widely applied to the growth of various metal oxides. - Abstract: A new method based on conventional plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology has been developed for the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures. Using this method, ZnWO{sub 4} and NiWO{sub 4} nanostructures with controllable morphologies (nanorods, nanosheets and microsheets) and superior crystallinity have been synthesized. It has been found that the morphology diversity of ZnWO{sub 4} nanostructures can be selectively tailored through tuning the electrolyte concentration and annealing temperatures, showing obvious advantages in comparison to traditional hydrothermal and sol–gel methods. Precise microscopy analyses on the cross section of the PEO coating and ZnWO{sub 4} nanostructures confirmed that the precursors initially precipitated in the PEO coating and its surface during plasma discharge process are responsible for the nucleation and subsequent growth of metal tungstate nanostructures by thermal annealing. The method developed in this work represents a general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures and the formation mechanism of

A general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures using plasma electrolytic oxidation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Yanan; Liu, Baodan; Zhai, Zhaofeng; Liu, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Bing; Liu, Lusheng; Jiang, Xin

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: A general strategy for the rational synthesis of tungstate nanostructure has been developed based on plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology (up). Using this method, ZnWO 4 and NiWO 4 nanostructures with controllable morphologies and superior crystallinity can be easily obtained (down), showing obvious advantage in comparison with conventional hydrothermal and sol–gel methods. - Highlights: • Plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) method has been used for the rational synthesis of tungstate nanostructures. • ZnWO 4 nanoplates have strong mechanical adhesion with porous TiO 2 film substrate. • The morphology and dimensional size of ZnWO 4 nanostructures can be selectively tailored by controlling the annealing temperature and growth time. • The PEO method can be widely applied to the growth of various metal oxides. - Abstract: A new method based on conventional plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology has been developed for the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures. Using this method, ZnWO 4 and NiWO 4 nanostructures with controllable morphologies (nanorods, nanosheets and microsheets) and superior crystallinity have been synthesized. It has been found that the morphology diversity of ZnWO 4 nanostructures can be selectively tailored through tuning the electrolyte concentration and annealing temperatures, showing obvious advantages in comparison to traditional hydrothermal and sol–gel methods. Precise microscopy analyses on the cross section of the PEO coating and ZnWO 4 nanostructures confirmed that the precursors initially precipitated in the PEO coating and its surface during plasma discharge process are responsible for the nucleation and subsequent growth of metal tungstate nanostructures by thermal annealing. The method developed in this work represents a general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures and the formation mechanism of metal tungstate nanostructures fabricated by

Synthesis of One Dimensional Li2MoO4 Nanostructures and Their Electrochemical Performance as Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Xudong; Zhao, Yanming; Dong, Youzhong; Fan, Qinghua; Kuang, Quan; Liang, Zhiyong; Lin, Xinghao; Han, Wei; Li, Qidong; Wen, Mingming

2015-01-01

Highlights: • One dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructures including nanorods and nanotubes have been successfully fabricated via a simple sol-gel method firstly. • Possible crystal formation mechanisms are proposed for these one dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructures. • These one dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructure electrode materials present outstanding rate abilities and cycle capabilities in electrochemical performance compared to the carbon-free powder sample when evaluated as anode materials for Lithium-ion batteries. • The carbon-coated Li 2 MoO 4 nanotube electrode improves the charging/discharging capacities of graphite even after applying 60 cycles at very high current density. - Abstract: One dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructures including nanorods and nanotubes have been successfully fabricated via a simple sol-gel method adding Li 2 CO 3 and MoO 3 powders into distilled water with citric acid as an assistant agent and carbon source. Our experimental results show that the formation of the one dimensional nanostructure morphology is evaporation and crystallization process with self-adjusting into a rod-like hexagonal cross-section structure, while the citric acid played an important role during the formation of Li 2 MoO 4 nanotubes under the acidic environment by capping, stabilizing the {1010} facet of Li 2 MoO 4 structure and controlling the concentration of H + (pH value) of the aqueous solution. Finally, basic electrochemical performance of these one dimensional Li 2 MoO 4 nanostructures including nanorods and nanotubes evaluated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are discussed, for comparison, the properties of carbon-free powder sample synthesized by solid-state reaction are also displayed. Experimental results show that different morphology and carbon-coating on the surface have an important influence on electrochemical performance

Mechanical alloying and sintering of nanostructured tungsten carbide-reinforced copper composite and its characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yusoff, Mahani; Othman, Radzali; Hussain, Zuhailawati

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → W 2 C phase was formed at short milling time while WC only appears after longer milling time. → Cu crystallite size decreased but internal strain increased with increasing milling time. → Increasing milling time induced more WC formation, thus improving the hardness of the composite. → Electrical conductivity is reduced due to powder refinement and the presence of carbide phases. -- Abstract: Elemental powders of copper (Cu), tungsten (W) and graphite (C) were mechanically alloyed in a planetary ball mill with different milling durations (0-60 h), compacted and sintered in order to precipitate hard tungsten carbide particles into a copper matrix. Both powder and sintered composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and assessed for hardness and electrical conductivity to investigate the effects of milling time on formation of nanostructured Cu-WC composite and its properties. No carbide peak was detected in the powder mixtures after milling. Carbide WC and W 2 C phases were precipitated only in the sintered composite. The formation of WC began with longer milling times, after W 2 C formation. Prolonged milling time decreased the crystallite size as well as the internal strain of Cu. Hardness of the composite was enhanced but electrical conductivity reduced with increasing milling time.

Synthesis and electrochemical behavior of nanostructured cauliflower-shape Co-Ni/Co-Ni oxides composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Vinay; Kawaguchi, Toshikazu; Miura, Norio

2009-01-01

Nanostructured Co-Ni/Co-Ni oxides were electrochemically deposited onto stainless steel electrode by electrochemical method and characterized for their structural and supercapacitive properties. The SEM images indicated that the obtained Co-Ni/Co-Ni oxides had cauliflower-type nanostructure. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed the formation of Co 3 O 4 , NiO, Co and Ni. The EDX elemental mapping images indicated that Ni, Co and O are distributed uniformly. The deposited Co-Ni/Co-Ni oxides showed good supercapacitive characteristics with a specific capacitance of 331 F/g at 1 mA/cm 2 current density in 1 M KOH electrolyte. A mechanism of the formation of cauliflower-shape Co-Ni/Co-Ni oxides was proposed. A variety of promising applications in the fields such as energy storage devices and sensors can be envisioned from Co-Ni/Co-Ni oxides

Synthesis and magnetic properties of superparamagnetic CoAs nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, P.; Ashokaan, N.; Masud, J.; Pariti, A.; Nath, M.

2015-03-01

This article provides a comprehensive guide on the synthesis and characterization of superparamagnetic CoAs nanoparticles and elongated nanostructures with high blocking temperature, (TB), via hot-injection precipitation and solvothermal methods. Cobalt arsenides constitute an important family of magnetically active solids that find a variety of applications ranging from magnetic semiconductors to biomedical imaging. While the higher temperature hot-injection precipitation technique (300 °C) yields pure CoAs nanostructures, the lower temperature solvothermal method (200 °C) yields a mixture of CoAs nanoparticles along with other Co-based impurity phases. The synthesis in all these cases involved usage of triphenylarsine ((C6H5)3As) as the As precursor which reacts with solid Co2(CO)8 by ligand displacement to yield a single source precursor. The surfactant, hexadecylamine (HDA) further assists in controlling the morphology of the nanostructures. HDA also provides a basic medium and molten flux-like conditions for the redox chemistry to occur between Co and As at elevated temperatures. The influence of the length of reaction time was investigated by studying the evolution of product morphology over time. It was observed that while spontaneous nucleation at higher temperature followed by controlled growth led to the predominant formation of short nanorods, with longer reaction time, the nanorods were further converted to nanoparticles. The size of the nanoparticles obtained, was mostly in the range of 10-15 nm. The key finding of this work is exceptionally high coercivity in CoAs nanostructures for the first time. Coercivity observed was as high as 0.1 T (1000 Oe) at 2 K. These kinds of magnetic nanostructures find multiple applications in spintronics, whereas the superparamagnetic nanoparticles are viable for use in magnetic storage, ferrofluids and as contrast enhancing agents in MRI.

Experimental mechanistic investigation of the nanostructuring of tungsten with low energy helium plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiflis, P., E-mail: fiflis1@illinois.edu; Connolly, N.; Ruzic, D.N.

2016-12-15

Helium ion bombardment of tungsten at temperatures between approximately one third and one half of its melting point has shown growth of nanostructures colloquially referred to as “fuzz”. The nanostructures take the form of thin tendrils of diameter about 30 nm and grow out of the bulk material. Tungsten will and does compose one of the key materials for plasma facing components (PFCs) in fusion reactors. The formation of nanostructured fuzz layers on PFCs would be detrimental to the performance of the reactor, and must therefore be avoided. Previous experiments have shown evidence that tungsten fuzz is initially grown by loop punching of helium bubbles created in the bulk. However, once the tendrils grow to sufficient length, the tendrils should intercept the entire helium flux, halting the production of fuzz. Fuzz continues to grow though. To increase the understanding of the mechanisms of tungsten fuzz formation, and thereby aid the avoidance of its production, a series of tests were performed to examine the validity of several theories regarding later stage tungsten fuzz growth. Tests showed that the fuzz formation was dependent solely on the bombardment of helium ions, and not on electric fields, or adatom diffusion. Experiments employing a tungsten coated molybdenum sample indicate the presence of a strong mixing layer and strongly suggest that tungsten fuzz growth continues to occur from the bottom up even as the tendrils grow in size. Tests also show a similarity between different metals exposed to helium ion fluxes where the ratio of bubble diameter to tendril diameter is constant.

Experimental mechanistic investigation of the nanostructuring of tungsten with low energy helium plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiflis, P.; Connolly, N.; Ruzic, D.N.

2016-01-01

Helium ion bombardment of tungsten at temperatures between approximately one third and one half of its melting point has shown growth of nanostructures colloquially referred to as “fuzz”. The nanostructures take the form of thin tendrils of diameter about 30 nm and grow out of the bulk material. Tungsten will and does compose one of the key materials for plasma facing components (PFCs) in fusion reactors. The formation of nanostructured fuzz layers on PFCs would be detrimental to the performance of the reactor, and must therefore be avoided. Previous experiments have shown evidence that tungsten fuzz is initially grown by loop punching of helium bubbles created in the bulk. However, once the tendrils grow to sufficient length, the tendrils should intercept the entire helium flux, halting the production of fuzz. Fuzz continues to grow though. To increase the understanding of the mechanisms of tungsten fuzz formation, and thereby aid the avoidance of its production, a series of tests were performed to examine the validity of several theories regarding later stage tungsten fuzz growth. Tests showed that the fuzz formation was dependent solely on the bombardment of helium ions, and not on electric fields, or adatom diffusion. Experiments employing a tungsten coated molybdenum sample indicate the presence of a strong mixing layer and strongly suggest that tungsten fuzz growth continues to occur from the bottom up even as the tendrils grow in size. Tests also show a similarity between different metals exposed to helium ion fluxes where the ratio of bubble diameter to tendril diameter is constant.

Nanostructured Materials for Magnetoelectronics

CERN Document Server

Mikailzade, Faik

2013-01-01

This book provides an up-to-date review of nanometer-scale magnetism and focuses on the investigation of the basic properties of magnetic nanostructures. It describes a wide range of physical aspects together with theoretical and experimental methods. A broad overview of the latest developments in this emerging and fascinating field of nanostructured materials is given with emphasis on the practical understanding and operation of submicron devices based on nanostructured magnetic materials.

Au nanostructure fabrication by pulsed laser deposition in open air: Influence of the deposition geometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rumen G. Nikov

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We present a fast and flexible method for the fabrication of Au nanocolumns. Au nanostructures were produced by pulsed laser deposition in air at atmospheric pressure. No impurities or Au compounds were detected in the resulting samples. The nanoparticles and nanoaggregates produced in the ablated plasma at atmospheric pressure led to the formation of chain-like nanostructures on the substrate. The dependence of the surface morphology of the samples on the deposition geometry used in the experimental set up was studied. Nanocolumns of different size and density were produced by varying the angle between the plasma plume and the substrate. The electrical, optical, and hydrophobic properties of the samples were studied and discussed in relation to their morphology. All of the nanostructures were conductive, with conductivity increasing with the accumulation of ablated material on the substrate. The modification of the electrical properties of the nanostructures was demonstrated by irradiation by infrared light. The Au nanostructures fabricated by the proposed technology are difficult to prepare by other methods, which makes the simple implementation and realization in ambient conditions presented in this work more ideal for industrial applications.

Au nanostructure fabrication by pulsed laser deposition in open air: Influence of the deposition geometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikov, Rumen G; Dikovska, Anna Og; Nedyalkov, Nikolay N; Avdeev, Georgi V; Atanasov, Petar A

2017-01-01

We present a fast and flexible method for the fabrication of Au nanocolumns. Au nanostructures were produced by pulsed laser deposition in air at atmospheric pressure. No impurities or Au compounds were detected in the resulting samples. The nanoparticles and nanoaggregates produced in the ablated plasma at atmospheric pressure led to the formation of chain-like nanostructures on the substrate. The dependence of the surface morphology of the samples on the deposition geometry used in the experimental set up was studied. Nanocolumns of different size and density were produced by varying the angle between the plasma plume and the substrate. The electrical, optical, and hydrophobic properties of the samples were studied and discussed in relation to their morphology. All of the nanostructures were conductive, with conductivity increasing with the accumulation of ablated material on the substrate. The modification of the electrical properties of the nanostructures was demonstrated by irradiation by infrared light. The Au nanostructures fabricated by the proposed technology are difficult to prepare by other methods, which makes the simple implementation and realization in ambient conditions presented in this work more ideal for industrial applications.

Synthesis of vertically aligned metal oxide nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Roqan, Iman S.

2016-03-03

Metal oxide nanostructure and methods of making metal oxide nanostructures are provided. The metal oxide nanostructures can be 1 -dimensional nanostructures such as nanowires, nanofibers, or nanotubes. The metal oxide nanostructures can be doped or undoped metal oxides. The metal oxide nanostructures can be deposited onto a variety of substrates. The deposition can be performed without high pressures and without the need for seed catalysts on the substrate. The deposition can be performed by laser ablation of a target including a metal oxide and, optionally, a dopant. In some embodiments zinc oxide nanostructures are deposited onto a substrate by pulsed laser deposition of a zinc oxide target using an excimer laser emitting UV radiation. The zinc oxide nanostructure can be doped with a rare earth metal such as gadolinium. The metal oxide nanostructures can be used in many devices including light-emitting diodes and solar cells.

Absorption enhancement in type-II coupled quantum rings due to existence of quasi-bound states

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Chi-Ti; Lin, Shih-Yen; Chang, Shu-Wei

2018-02-01

The absorption of type-II nanostructures is often weaker than type-I counterpart due to spatially separated electrons and holes. We model the bound-to-continuum absorption of type-II quantum rings (QRs) using a multiband source-radiation approach using the retarded Green function in the cylindrical coordinate system. The selection rules due to the circular symmetry for allowed transitions of absorption are utilized. The bound-tocontinuum absorptions of type-II GaSb coupled and uncoupled QRs embedded in GaAs matrix are compared here. The GaSb QRs act as energy barriers for electrons but potential wells for holes. For the coupled QR structure, the region sandwiched between two QRs forms a potential reservoir of quasi-bound electrons. Electrons in these states, though look like bound ones, would ultimately tunnel out of the reservoir through barriers. Multiband perfectly-matched layers are introduced to model the tunneling of quasi-bound states into open space. Resonance peaks are observed on the absorption spectra of type-II coupled QRs due to the formation of quasi-bound states in conduction bands, but no resonance exist in the uncoupled QR. The tunneling time of these metastable states can be extracted from the resonance and is in the order of ten femtoseconds. Absorption of coupled QRs is significantly enhanced as compared to that of uncoupled ones in certain spectral windows of interest. These features may improve the performance of photon detectors and photovoltaic devices based on type-II semiconductor nanostructures.

Wetting characteristics of 3-dimensional nanostructured fractal surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Ethan; Liu, Ying; Jiang, Lijia; Lu, Yongfeng; Ndao, Sidy

2017-01-01

This article reports the fabrication and wetting characteristics of 3-dimensional nanostructured fractal surfaces (3DNFS). Three distinct 3DNFS surfaces, namely cubic, Romanesco broccoli, and sphereflake were fabricated using two-photon direct laser writing. Contact angle measurements were performed on the multiscale fractal surfaces to characterize their wetting properties. Average contact angles ranged from 66.8° for the smooth control surface to 0° for one of the fractal surfaces. The change in wetting behavior was attributed to modification of the interfacial surface properties due to the inclusion of 3-dimensional hierarchical fractal nanostructures. However, this behavior does not exactly obey existing surface wetting models in the literature. Potential applications for these types of surfaces in physical and biological sciences are also discussed.

Glass-like phonon scattering from a spontaneous nanostructure in AgSbTe2.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, J; Delaire, O; May, A F; Carlton, C E; McGuire, M A; VanBebber, L H; Abernathy, D L; Ehlers, G; Hong, Tao; Huq, A; Tian, Wei; Keppens, V M; Shao-Horn, Y; Sales, B C

2013-06-01

Materials with very low thermal conductivity are of great interest for both thermoelectric and optical phase-change applications. Synthetic nanostructuring is most promising for suppressing thermal conductivity through phonon scattering, but challenges remain in producing bulk samples. In crystalline AgSbTe2 we show that a spontaneously forming nanostructure leads to a suppression of thermal conductivity to a glass-like level. Our mapping of the phonon mean free paths provides a novel bottom-up microscopic account of thermal conductivity and also reveals intrinsic anisotropies associated with the nanostructure. Ground-state degeneracy in AgSbTe2 leads to the natural formation of nanoscale domains with different orderings on the cation sublattice, and correlated atomic displacements, which efficiently scatter phonons. This mechanism is general and suggests a new avenue for the nanoscale engineering of materials to achieve low thermal conductivities for efficient thermoelectric converters and phase-change memory devices.

Alkali-etching growth of nest-like Ag@mTiO2 hierarchical nanostructures and their potential applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zongnan; Zhang, Haijiao

2017-06-01

Porous nanomaterials have attracted extensive interests in adsorption, catalysis, biosensors, and biomedicine due to their high surface area, well-defined pore structure and tunable pore size. However, how to obtain porous nanomaterials of desirable component and unique structure with multifunctionalities and synergetic properties is still a great challenge. In this work, a novel nest-like Ag@mTiO 2 hierarchical nanostructure with Ag nanoparticle as the core and a mesoporous crystalline TiO 2 as the protective shell was successfully prepared by layer-by-layer assembly technique and alkali-etching hydrothermal route. By simply changing the conditions of alkali etching, different nanostructures could be obtained, such as core-shell or rattle type. In the process, the thickness of coating silica layer and TiO 2 shell both played important roles for the formation of desired nanostructures. The as-prepared products had a large specific surface area of 301m 2 /g and a tailored TiO 2 outer shell. Raman spectra results showed perfect SERS signal of the tags enhanced and remained good stability even after one month. Doxycycline (Doxy) was chosen to evaluate their drug loading and controlled release properties. The results indicated that the obtained Ag@mTiO 2 nanoparticles exhibited good biocompatibility and excellent drug-loading capacity. Consequently, they are also expected to serve as ideal candidates for more potential applications including photocatalysis, drug controlled release, biosensor and cell imaging, etc. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of C@ZnO core-shell nanostructures and its photoluminescence property

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Tao; Yu, Shanwen; Fang, Xiaoxin; Huang, Honghong; Li, Lun [School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan (China); Wang, Xiuyuan [College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan (China); Wang, Huihu, E-mail: wanghuihu@mail.hbut.edu.cn [School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan (China); Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Materials for Light Industry, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan (China)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • C@ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal carbonization method. • Glucose content has a great influence on the microstructure of C@ZnO nanostructures. • An ultrathin amorphous carbon layer enhances the adsorption capacity of C@ZnO. • C@ZnO nanostructures exhibit the improved photocatalytic activity and stability. - Abstract: An ultrathin layer of amorphous carbon coated C@ZnO core-shell nanostructures were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal carbonization process using glucose as precursor in this work. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and diffuse reflectance UV–vis spectroscopy (DRS) were used for the characterization of as-prepared samples. Photoluminescence (PL) properties of C@ZnO samples were investigated using PL spectroscopy. The microstructure analysis results show that the glucose content has a great influence on the size, morphology, crystallinity and surface chemical states of C@ZnO nanostructures. Moreover, the as-prepared C@ZnO core-shell nanostructures exhibit the enhanced photocatalytic activity and good photostability for methyl orange dye degradation due to its high adsorption ability and its improved optical characteristics.

Characterization of nanostructured CuO-porous silicon matrixformed on copper coated silicon substrate via electrochemical etching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naddaf, M.; Mrad, O.; Al-Zier, A.

2015-01-01

A pulsed anodic etching method has been utilized for nanostructuring of a copper-coated p-type (100) silicon substrate, using HF-based solution as electrolyte. Scanning electron microscopy reveals the formation of a nanostructured matrix that consists of island-like textures with nanosize grains grown onto fiber-like columnar structures separated with etch pits of grooved porous structures. Spatial micro-Raman scattering analysis indicates that the island-like texture is composed of single-phase cupric oxide (CuO) nanocrystals, while the grooved porous structure is barely related to formation of porous silicon (PS). X-ray diffraction shows that both the grown CuO nanostructures and the etched silicon layer have the same preferred (220) orientation. Chemical composition obtained by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis confirms the presence of the single-phase CuO on the surface of the patterned CuO-PS matrix. As compared to PS formed on the bare silicon substrate, the room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) from the CuO-PS matrix exhibits an additional weak (blue) PL band as well as a blue shift in the PL band of PS (S-band). This has been revealed from XPS analysis to be associated with the enhancement in the SiO2 content as well as formation of the carbonyl group on the surface in the case of the CuO-PS matrix.(author)

Space charge in nanostructure resonances

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Peter J.

1996-10-01

In quantum ballistic propagation of electrons through a variety of nanostructures, resonance in the energy-dependent transmission and reflection probabilities generically is associated with (1) a quasi-level with a decay lifetime, and (2) a bulge in electron density within the structure. It can be shown that, to a good approximation, a simple formula in all cases connects the density of states for the latter to the energy dependence of the phase angles of the eigen values of the S-matrix governing the propagation. For both the Lorentzian resonances (normal or inverted) and for the Fano-type resonances, as a consequence of this eigen value formula, the space charge due to filled states over the energy range of a resonance is just equal (for each spin state) to one electron charge. The Coulomb interaction within this space charge is known to 'distort' the electrical characteristics of resonant nanostructures. In these systems, however, the exchange effect should effectively cancel the interaction between states with parallel spins, leaving only the anti-parallel spin contribution.

Reactivity and structural evolution of urchin-like Co nanostructures under controlled environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Dembele, K; Moldovan, S; Hirlimann, Ch; Harmel, J; Soulantica, K; Serp, P; Chaudret, B; Gay, A-S; Maury, S; Berliet, A; Fecant, A; Ersen, O

2018-02-01

In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of samples in a controlled gas environment allows for the real time study of the dynamical changes in nanomaterials at high temperatures and pressures up to the ambient pressure (10 5 Pa) with a spatial resolution close to the atomic scale. In the field of catalysis, the implementation and quantitative use of in situ procedures are fundamental for a better understanding of the behaviour of catalysts in their environments and operating conditions. By using a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based atmospheric gas cell, we have studied the thermal stability and the reactivity of crystalline cobalt nanostructures with initial 'urchin-like' morphologies sustained by native surface ligands that result from their synthesis reaction. We have evidenced various behaviors of the Co nanostructures that depend on the environment used during the observations. At high temperature under vacuum or in an inert atmosphere, the migration of Co atoms towards the core of the particles is activated and leads to the formation of carbon nanostructures using as a template the initial multipods morphology. In the case of reactive environments, for example, pure oxygen, our investigation allowed to directly monitor the voids formation through the Kirkendall effect. Once the nanostructures were oxidised, it was possible to reduce them back to the metallic phase using a dihydrogen flux. Under a pure hydrogen atmosphere, the sintering of the whole structure occurred, which illustrates the high reactivity of such structures as well as the fundamental role of the present ligands as morphology stabilisers. The last type of environmental study under pure CO and syngas (i.e. a mixture of H 2 :CO = 2:1) revealed the metal particles carburisation at high temperature. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Nanostructured Surfaces for Drug Delivery and Anti-Fibrosis

Science.gov (United States)

Kam, Kimberly Renee

impact the field. Due to the rise in micro and nanofabrication techniques borrowed from the advances in the microelectronics industry, previously unattainable nanostructured surfaces on a variety of biomaterials can be generated. We investigated how nanostructured surfaces with varying nanofeature aspect ratios can influence fibrosis. Thus, nanostructured surfaces show substantial progress for therapeutic applications in drug delivery and wound healing.

Electrochemical synthesis of nanostructured Se-doped SnS: Effect of Se-dopant on surface characterizations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kafashan, Hosein; Azizieh, Mahdi; Balak, Zohre

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Nanostructured SnS_1_-_xSe_x thin films were prepared by using electrodeposition method. • The XRD patterns obviously showed that the synthesized films were polycrystalline. • The PL spectra of SnS_1_-_xSe_x thin films showed four emission peaks. • The UV–vis spectra shows a variation in the optical band gap energy of SnS_1_-_xSe_x thin films from 1.22 to 1.65 eV. • SnS_1_-_xSe_x thin films would be suitable for use as absorber layers. - Abstract: SnS_1_-_xSe_x nanostructures with different Se-dopant concentrations were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate through cathodic electrodeposition technique. The pH, temperature, applied potential (E), and deposition time remained were 2.1, 60 °C, −1 V, and 30 min, respectively. SnS_1_-_xSe_x nanostructures were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microcopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), room temperature photoluminescence (PL), and UV–vis spectroscopy. The XRD patterns revealed that the SnS_1_-_xSe_x nanostructures were polycrystalline with orthorhombic structure. FESEM showed various kinds of morphologies in SnS_1_-_xSe_x nanostructures due to Se-doping. PL and UV–vis spectroscopy were used to evaluate the optical properties of SnS_1_-_xSe_x thin films. The PL spectra of SnS_1_-_xSe_x nanostructures displayed four emission peaks, those are a blue, a green, an orange, and a red emission. UV–vis spectra showed that the optical band gap energy (E_g) of SnS_1_-_xSe_x nanostructures varied between 1.22–1.65 eV, due to Se-doping.

Controllable synthesis of spindle-like ZnO nanostructures by a simple low-temperature aqueous solution route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Hongxia; Zhao Yunlong; Yu Xiujun; Chen Deliang; Zhang Liwei; Xu Hongliang; Yang Daoyuan; Wang Hailong; Zhang Rui

2011-01-01

Spindle-like ZnO nanostructures were successfully synthesized through direct precipitation of zinc acetate aqueous solution at 60 deg. C. Phase structure, morphology and microstructure of the products were investigated by X-ray diffraction, TG-DTA, FTIR and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Result showed that hexagonal wurtzite structure ZnO nanostructures with about 100 nm in diameter and 100-200 nm in length were obtained. HMTA acted as a soft template in the process and played an important role in the formation of spindle-like ZnO nanostructures. Meanwhile, different morphologies were also obtained by altering synthetic temperature, additional agents and the ratios of Zn 2+ /OH - . Possible mechanism for the variations of morphology with synthesis parameters was also discussed in this paper.

THE NANOSTRUCTURE OF ERYTHROCYTE MEMBRANES UNDER BLOOD INTOXICATION: AN ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Sergunova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The effects of toxins on nanostructure of blood cells are one of the key problems of biophysics and medicine. Erythrocyte morphology and membrane structure are recognized as the main parameters of blood quality. Therefore, analysis of membrane defects under toxin effects seems an urgent issue. Aim: To identify characteristic features and patterns of changes in membrane nanostructure under hemin intoxication and during extended storage of erythrocyte suspension. Materials and methods: The study was done in vitro in human whole blood with addition of hemin, аnd in erythrocyte suspension with a CPD blood preservative stored at 4 °С for 30 days. The nanostructure of erythrocyte membrane was assessed by atomic force microscopy. Results: Characteristic size of space periods between “granules” was from 120 to 200 nm. “Granule” numbers within a topological defect varied from 4 to 5 and to several dozens. Such domains arose virtually on all cells in erythrocyte suspension, as well as after hemin addition to the blood. An increase in hemin intoxication and an increase in a storage time were associated by increases in echinocyte numbers that subsequently transformed into spherical echinocytes. Both under hemin and during the storage of erythrocyte suspension for 9 to 12 days, a specific abnormality in nanostructure of erythrocyte membrane was observed: structural clusters, i.e., domains with granular structure, were formed. Conclusion: The experiments showed that both hemin and oxidative processes in the blood can specifically affect the nanostructure of erythrocyte membranes with formation of domains on their surface. The specific size of granular structures in the domains is from 100 to 200 nm that coincides with a  specific size of spectrin matrix. These results can be used in basic and applied medicine, in blood transfusion, for the analysis of a toxin effects in the human body. The biophysical mechanisms of domain

Stabilization of Ag nanostructures by tuning their Fermi levels

Science.gov (United States)

Tani, Tadaaki; Kan, Ryota; Yamano, Yuka; Uchida, Takayuki

2018-05-01

The oxidation of Ag nanostructures has been studied as a key step for their degradation under the guiding principle in the previous paper that they are stable when their Fermi level is lower than those of their surroundings. The drop of the Fermi level of a thin Ag layer was caused by the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of certain organic compounds including those of photographic interest and a monolayer of AgI, and attributed to the formation of dielectric layers, whose positive charges were closer to the Ag layer than negative charges. A consideration is given on further examinations needed to realize the above guiding principle in individual devices.

Ionic liquids-modulated two-phase thermal synthesis of three-dimensional CuS nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Kaisheng; Lu, Weiwei; Li, Xinying; Wang, Jianji

2012-01-01

A novel method was proposed for successful fabrication of CuS nanostructures with various morphologies. At the ionic liquids (ILs)-modulated CHCl 3 –H 2 O interface, copper cupferronate [Cu(cup) 2 ] in CHCl 3 reacted with thiourea in water to generate CuS nanostructures via a solvothermal reaction process. The effects of alkyl chain length of imidazolium cations and nature of anions of the ILs, molar ratio of Cu(cup) 2 to thiourea, the reaction temperature and time on the morphology of the products were studied systematically. It was shown that by changing alkyl chain length of imidazolium cations and nature of anions of the ILs, CuS nanostructures with various morphologies, including flowers, urchins, large nanodisks and nanoparticles, could be obtained at the liquid–liquid interface, and the ILs played important template roles in directing the formation of CuS nanostructures. Furthermore, the as-prepared CuS samples exhibited high catalytic activity for photodegradation of methyl orange and thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate. - Graphical abstract: At the ionic liquids-modulated CHCl 3 –H 2 O interface, the CuS nanostructures with the various morphologies of flowers, urchins, large nanodisks and nanoparticles have been successfully prepared via a solvothermal reaction process. Highlights: ► The properties of oil–H 2 O interface can be modulated by employing different ILs. ► The modulated interface has been used to prepare CuS nanostructures with various morphologies. ► The CuS samples exhibited high catalytic activity for the photodegradation of methyl orange.

Laser ablation of microparticles for nanostructure generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waraich, Palneet Singh; Tan, Bo; Venkatakrishnan, Krishnan

2011-01-01

The process of laser ablation of microparticles has been shown to generate nanoparticles from microparticles; but the generation of nanoparticle networks from microparticles has never been reported before. We report a unique approach for the generation of nanoparticle networks through ablation of microparticles. Using this approach, two samples containing microparticles of lead oxide (Pb 3 O 4 ) and nickel oxide (NiO), respectively, were ablated under ambient conditions using a femtosecond laser operating in the MHz repetition rate regime. Nanoparticle networks with particle diameter ranging from 60 to 90 nm were obtained by ablation of microparticles without use of any specialized equipment, catalysts or external stimulants. The formation of finer nanoparticle networks has been explained by considering the low pressure region created by the shockwave, causing rapid condensation of microparticles into finer nanoparticles. A comparison between the nanostructures generated by ablating microparticle and those by ablating bulk substrate was carried out; and a considerable reduction in size and narrowed size distribution was observed. Our nanostructure fabrication technique will be a unique process for nanoparticle network generation from a vast array of materials.

Self-assembly of tetrapod-shaped CdS nanostructures into 3D networks by a transverse growth process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Xiuli; Li Dan; Zhang Lei; Xiao Jinghua; Li Jiangyan; Peng Zhijian; Fang Zheyu

2011-01-01

Spontaneous formation of 3D tetrapod-shaped CdS nanostructure networks has been achieved for the first time by vapor diffusion-deposition growth from CdS powders. The growth mechanism of the hexagonal and preferentially oriented CdS tetrapod-shaped nanostructures is a combination of the classic vapor-liquid-solid and vapor-solid processes, and the formation of a 3D network results from the spontaneous growths along the longitudinal and across the axial directions of the primarily formed CdS nanorods. Micro-photoluminescence measurements and near-field scanning optical microscopy investigations show that the synthesized CdS tetrapod networks have an excellent luminescence property and can be used as an optical waveguide cavities in which the guided light can be extremely confined.

Earth's core formation due to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ida, S.; Nakagawa, Y.; Nakazawa, K.

1987-01-01

A protoearth accretion stage configuration consisting of an undifferentiated solid core, an intermediate metal-melt layer, and an outer silicate-melt layer, is presently taken as the initial state in an investigation of Rayleigh-Taylor instability-induced core formation. The Ida et al. (to be published) quantitative results on the instability in a self-gravitating fluid sphere are used. The instability is found to occur through the translational mode on a time-scale of about 10 hr, in the case where the metal-melt layer is greater than about 1 km; this implies that the earth's core formed due to the undifferentiated solid core's translation upon the outer layer's melting. Differentiation would then have occurred in the late accretion stage. 17 references

Synergistic methane formation on pyrolytic graphite due to combined H+ ion and H0 atom impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haasz, A.A.; Davis, J.W.; Auciello, O.; Strangeby, P.C.; Vietzke, E.; Flaskamp, K.; Philipps, V.

1986-06-01

Exposure of graphite to multispecies hydrogenic impact, as is the case in tokamaks, could lead to synergistic mechanisms resulting in an enhancement of methane formation, and consequently in increased carbon erosion. We present results obtained in controlled experiments in our laboratories in Toronto and Juelich for the synergistic methane production due to combined sub-eV H 0 atoms and energetic H + ion impact on pyrolytic graphite. Flux densities were 10 14 -2x10 16 H 0 /cm 2 s for the sub-eV H 0 atoms and 6x10 12 -5x10 15 H + /cm 2 for H + ions of 300 eV to 2.5 keV energy. Synergistic factors (defined as the ratio of methane formation rate due to combined H 0 and H + fluxes to the sum of the formation rates due to separate species impact) ranged from about 1.5-15 for the experimental parameters used. In addition, a spectrum of formed hydrocarbons in the synergistic reaction of H + and H 0 on graphite is presented

Catalyst-free growth and tailoring morphology of zinc oxide nanostructures by plasma-enhanced deposition at low temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, W. Z.; Wang, B. B.; Qu, Y. Z.; Huang, X.; Ostrikov, K.; Levchenko, I.; Xu, S.; Cheng, Q. J.

2017-01-01

ZnO nanostructures were grown under different deposition conditions from Zn films pre-deposited onto Si substrates in O 2 -Ar plasma, ignited in an advanced custom-designed plasma-enhanced horizontal tube furnace deposition system. The morphology and structure of the synthesized ZnO nanostructures were systematically and extensively investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. It is shown that the morphology of ZnO nanostructures changes from the hybrid ZnO/nanoparticle and nanorod system to the mixture of ZnO nanosheets and nanorods when the growth temperature increases, and the density of ZnO nanorods increases with the increase of oxygen flow rate. The formation of ZnO nanostructures was explained in terms of motion of Zn atoms on the Zn nanoparticle surfaces, and to the local melting of Zn nanoparticles or nanosheets. Moreover, the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanostructures were studied, and it was revealed that the photoluminescence spectrum features two strong ultraviolet bands at about 378 and 399 nm and a series of weak blue bands within a range of 440–484 nm, related to the emissions of free excitons, near-band edge, and defects of ZnO nanostructures. The obtained results enrich our knowledge on the synthesis of ZnO-based nanostructures and contribute to the development of ZnO-based optoelectronic devices.

Catalyst-free growth and tailoring morphology of zinc oxide nanostructures by plasma-enhanced deposition at low temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, W. Z. [Quanzhou Normal University, Key Laboratory of Information Functional Material for Fujian Higher Education, College of Physics & Information Engineering (China); Wang, B. B. [Chongqing University of Technology, College of Chemical Engineering (China); Qu, Y. Z.; Huang, X. [Xiamen University, College of Energy, Xiang’an Campus (China); Ostrikov, K. [Queensland University of Technology, School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering (Australia); Levchenko, I.; Xu, S. [Nanyang Technological University, Plasma Sources and Applications Centre, National Institute of Education (Singapore); Cheng, Q. J., E-mail: qijin.cheng@xmu.edu.cn [Xiamen University, College of Energy, Xiang’an Campus (China)

2017-03-15

ZnO nanostructures were grown under different deposition conditions from Zn films pre-deposited onto Si substrates in O{sub 2}-Ar plasma, ignited in an advanced custom-designed plasma-enhanced horizontal tube furnace deposition system. The morphology and structure of the synthesized ZnO nanostructures were systematically and extensively investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. It is shown that the morphology of ZnO nanostructures changes from the hybrid ZnO/nanoparticle and nanorod system to the mixture of ZnO nanosheets and nanorods when the growth temperature increases, and the density of ZnO nanorods increases with the increase of oxygen flow rate. The formation of ZnO nanostructures was explained in terms of motion of Zn atoms on the Zn nanoparticle surfaces, and to the local melting of Zn nanoparticles or nanosheets. Moreover, the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanostructures were studied, and it was revealed that the photoluminescence spectrum features two strong ultraviolet bands at about 378 and 399 nm and a series of weak blue bands within a range of 440–484 nm, related to the emissions of free excitons, near-band edge, and defects of ZnO nanostructures. The obtained results enrich our knowledge on the synthesis of ZnO-based nanostructures and contribute to the development of ZnO-based optoelectronic devices.

A Novel Sensor for VOCs Using Nanostructured ZnO and MEMS Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. J. Pandya

2012-03-01

Full Text Available A sensor for detection of vapors of volatile organic compounds (VOCs incorporating nanostructured zinc oxide film and silicon micromachining is reported. One of the key features of the sensor is the use of nanostructured ZnO material which has been synthesized using a novel low cost process. Considerable reduction in the operating temperature of the sensor has been achieved due to the use of nanostructured ZnO material as compared to a sensor having ZnO thin film as the sensing layer. The sensor is formed on a micromachined silicon platform thereby reducing the heat loss. This resulted in reduction in power consumption. The sensor has been tested for a variety of VOCs such as: ethanol, iso-propyl alcohol and acetone. The maximum sensitivity of sensor was observed for ethanol vapors.

Preparation of polymer composites using nanostructured carbon produced at large scale by catalytic decomposition of methane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suelves, I.; Utrilla, R.; Torres, D.; Llobet, S. de; Pinilla, J.L.; Lázaro, M.J.; Moliner, R.

2013-01-01

Polymer-based composites were prepared using different concentrations of nanostructured carbons (NCs), produced by catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM). Four carbonaceous nanostructures were produced using different catalysts (with Ni and Fe as active phases) in a rotary bed reactor capable of producing up to 20 g of carbon per hour. The effect of nanostructured carbon on the thermal and electrical behaviour of epoxy-based composites is studied. An increase in the thermal stability and the decrease of electrical resistivity were observed for the composites at carbon contents as low as 1 wt%. The highest reduction of the electrical resistivity was obtained using multi-walled carbon nanotubes obtained with the Fe based catalysts. This effect could be related to the high degree of structural order of these materials. The results were compared with those obtained using a commercial carbon nanofibre, showing that the use of carbon nanostructures from CDM can be a valid alternative to the commercial nanofibres. -- Highlights: ► Preparation of polymer nanocomposites with enhanced thermal and electrical properties. ► Formation of nanostructured carbon materials with different textural and structural properties at large scale. ► Catalytic decomposition of methane to simultaneously produce hydrogen and carbon materials.

Functional and in vitro gastric digestibility of the whey protein hydrogel loaded with nanostructured lipid carriers and gelled via citric acid-mediated crosslinking.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemi, Behnaz; Madadlou, Ashkan; Salami, Maryam

2017-12-15

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) with mean size of 347nm were fabricated and added into a heat-denatured whey protein solution. The subsequent crosslinking of proteins by citric acid or CaCl 2 resulted in the formation of cold-set hydrogels. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) proposed formation of more hydrogen bonds in gel due to NLC loading or citric acid-mediated gelation. It was also found based on FITR spectroscopy that citric acid crosslinking disordered whey proteins. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging showed a non-porous and finely meshed microstructure for the crosslinked gels compared to non-crosslinked counterparts. Crosslinking also increased the firmness and water-holding capacity of gels. In pepsin-free fluid, a strong correlation existed between reduction in gel swellability and digestibility over periods up to 60min due to NLC loading and citric acid gelation. However, in peptic fluid, NLC loading and citric acid crosslinking brought about much higher decrease in digestibility than swellability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anodized ZnO nanostructures for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Mao-Chia [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan (China); Wang, TsingHai [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environment Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Wu, Bin-Jui [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan (China); Lin, Jing-Chie, E-mail: jclin4046@gmail.com [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan (China); Wu, Ching-Chen [Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 310, Taiwan (China)

2016-01-01

Highlights: • ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by electrochemical anodic process. • The parameter of ZnO nanostructure was anodic potential. • The model of growth of ZnO nanostructure was investigated. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were fabricated on the polished zinc foil by anodic deposition in an alkaline solution containing 1.0 M NaOH and 0.25 M Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}. Potentiostatic anodization was conducted at two potentials (−0.7 V in the passive region and −1.0 V in the active region vs. SCE) which are higher than the open circuit potential (−1.03 V vs. SCE) and as-obtained ZnO nanostrcutures were investigated focusing on their structural, optical, electrical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) characteristics. All samples were confirmed ZnO by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectra. Observations in the SEM images clearly showed that ZnO nanostructures prepared at −0.7 V vs. SCE were composed of nanowires at while those obtained at −1.0 V vs. SCE possessed nanosheets morphology. Result from transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction patterns suggested that the ZnO nanowires belonged to single crystalline with a preferred orientation of (0 0 2) whereas the ZnO nanosheets were polycrystalline. Following PEC experiments indicated that ZnO nanowires had higher photocurrent density of 0.32 mA/cm{sup 2} at 0.5 V vs. SCE under 100 mW/cm{sup 2} illumination. This value was about 1.9 times higher than that of ZnO nanosheets. Observed higher photocurrent was likely due to the single crystalline, preferred (0 0 2) orientation, higher carrier concentration and lower charge transfer resistance.

Composite materials formed with anchored nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Seals, Roland D; Menchhofer, Paul A; Howe, Jane Y; Wang, Wei

2015-03-10

A method of forming nano-structure composite materials that have a binder material and a nanostructure fiber material is described. A precursor material may be formed using a mixture of at least one metal powder and anchored nanostructure materials. The metal powder mixture may be (a) Ni powder and (b) NiAl powder. The anchored nanostructure materials may comprise (i) NiAl powder as a support material and (ii) carbon nanotubes attached to nanoparticles adjacent to a surface of the support material. The process of forming nano-structure composite materials typically involves sintering the mixture under vacuum in a die. When Ni and NiAl are used in the metal powder mixture Ni.sub.3Al may form as the binder material after sintering. The mixture is sintered until it consolidates to form the nano-structure composite material.

Recent advances in ZnO nanostructures and thin films for biosensor applications: Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arya, Sunil K.; Saha, Shibu; Ramirez-Vick, Jaime E.; Gupta, Vinay; Bhansali, Shekhar; Singh, Surinder P.

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: ZnO nanostructures have shown binding of biomolecules in desired orientation with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, their compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes them suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review highlights various approaches to synthesize ZnO nanostructures and thin films, and their applications in biosensor technology. Highlights: ► This review highlights various approaches to synthesize ZnO nanostructures and thin films. ► Article highlights the importance of ZnO nanostructures as biosensor matrix. ► Article highlights the advances in various biosensors based on ZnO nanostructures. ► Article describes the potential of ZnO based biosensor for new generation healthcare devices. - Abstract: Biosensors have shown great potential for health care and environmental monitoring. The performance of biosensors depends on their components, among which the matrix material, i.e., the layer between the recognition layer of biomolecule and transducer, plays a crucial role in defining the stability, sensitivity and shelf-life of a biosensor. Recently, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and thin films have attracted much interest as materials for biosensors due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, high isoelectric point, electrochemical activity, high electron mobility, ease of synthesis by diverse methods and high surface-to-volume ratio. ZnO nanostructures have shown the binding of biomolecules in desired orientations with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes ZnO nanostructures suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review

Recent advances in ZnO nanostructures and thin films for biosensor applications: Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arya, Sunil K., E-mail: sunilarya333@gmail.com [Bioelectronics Program, Institute of Microelectronics, A-Star 11 Science Park Road, Singapore Science Park II, Singapore 117685 (Singapore); Saha, Shibu [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Ramirez-Vick, Jaime E. [Engineering Science and Materials Department, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00681 (United States); Gupta, Vinay [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Bhansali, Shekhar [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL (United States); Singh, Surinder P., E-mail: singh.uprm@gmail.com [National Physical Laboratory, Dr K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India)

2012-08-06

Graphical abstract: ZnO nanostructures have shown binding of biomolecules in desired orientation with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, their compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes them suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review highlights various approaches to synthesize ZnO nanostructures and thin films, and their applications in biosensor technology. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This review highlights various approaches to synthesize ZnO nanostructures and thin films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Article highlights the importance of ZnO nanostructures as biosensor matrix. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Article highlights the advances in various biosensors based on ZnO nanostructures. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Article describes the potential of ZnO based biosensor for new generation healthcare devices. - Abstract: Biosensors have shown great potential for health care and environmental monitoring. The performance of biosensors depends on their components, among which the matrix material, i.e., the layer between the recognition layer of biomolecule and transducer, plays a crucial role in defining the stability, sensitivity and shelf-life of a biosensor. Recently, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and thin films have attracted much interest as materials for biosensors due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, high isoelectric point, electrochemical activity, high electron mobility, ease of synthesis by diverse methods and high surface-to-volume ratio. ZnO nanostructures have shown the binding of biomolecules in desired orientations with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes Zn

Evaluation of charge storage ability of chrome doped Mn2O3 nanostructures derived by cathodic electrodeposition

OpenAIRE

Hamideh Darjazi; Saied Saeed Hosseiny Davarani; Hamid Reza Moazami; Taher Yousefi; Farideh Tabatabaei

2016-01-01

A facile synthetic route has been proposed to prepare cauliflower-like nanostructures of Cr doped Mn2O3. The synthesis was carried out by constant current cathodic electrodeposition from Mn2+ nitrate solutions containing minor amounts of dichromate. It was found that the presence of Cr mediates the formation of cathodic MnO2 which then reacts with the excess Mn2+ species to form Mn2O3 nanostructures. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Differential Thermal Analysis...

Fabrication of ZnO Nanostructures with Self-cleaning Functionality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kok, K.Y.; Ng, I.K.; Nur Ubaidah Saidin; Bustaman, F.K.A.

2011-01-01

The science of biomimicry has served as a fusion point between nature and technology where one could adopt natures best solution for humans use. Lotus leaf surface, for example, possesses self cleaning capability due to its unique physical and chemical properties. In this work, we aimed to mimic these features on glass surface using ZnO nanostructures to achieve the self-cleaning functionality. A series of ZnO films were electrochemically deposited on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) conducting glasses from different aqueous electrolytes at systematically varied deposition potentials and electrolyte conditions. The surface morphology, density, orientation and aspect ratio of the ZnO micro/nanostructures obtained were characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Results from these studies show that lower electrolyte concentrations tend to favor one-dimensional growth of ZnO nanostructures that self-assembled into nano flowers at higher deposition temperatures. This hierarchical micro/nano-structured ZnO-modified surface exhibits super hydrophobicity with water contact angle as high as 170 degree. (author)

Nanostructured gold microelectrodes for extracellular recording from electrogenic cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Brüggemann, D; Wolfrum, B; Maybeck, V; Mourzina, Y; Jansen, M; Offenhäusser, A

2011-07-01

We present a new biocompatible nanostructured microelectrode array for extracellular signal recording from electrogenic cells. Microfabrication techniques were combined with a template-assisted approach using nanoporous aluminum oxide to develop gold nanopillar electrodes. The nanopillars were approximately 300-400 nm high and had a diameter of 60 nm. Thus, they yielded a higher surface area of the electrodes resulting in a decreased impedance compared to planar electrodes. The interaction between the large-scale gold nanopillar arrays and cardiac muscle cells (HL-1) was investigated via focused ion beam milling. In the resulting cross-sections we observed a tight coupling between the HL-1 cells and the gold nanostructures. However, the cell membranes did not bend into the cleft between adjacent nanopillars due to the high pillar density. We performed extracellular potential recordings from HL-1 cells with the nanostructured microelectrode arrays. The maximal amplitudes recorded with the nanopillar electrodes were up to 100% higher than those recorded with planar gold electrodes. Increasing the aspect ratio of the gold nanopillars and changing the geometrical layout can further enhance the signal quality in the future.

Nanostructured gold microelectrodes for extracellular recording from electrogenic cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brueggemann, D; Wolfrum, B; Maybeck, V; Mourzina, Y; Jansen, M; Offenhaeusser, A, E-mail: a.offenhaeusser@fz-juelich.de [Institute of Complex Systems and Peter Gruenberg Institute: Bioelectronics (ICS8/PGI8), Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Leo-Brandt-Strasse, 52428 Juelich (Germany); Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance-Fundamental of Future Information Technology (JARA-FIT) (Germany)

2011-07-01

We present a new biocompatible nanostructured microelectrode array for extracellular signal recording from electrogenic cells. Microfabrication techniques were combined with a template-assisted approach using nanoporous aluminum oxide to develop gold nanopillar electrodes. The nanopillars were approximately 300-400 nm high and had a diameter of 60 nm. Thus, they yielded a higher surface area of the electrodes resulting in a decreased impedance compared to planar electrodes. The interaction between the large-scale gold nanopillar arrays and cardiac muscle cells (HL-1) was investigated via focused ion beam milling. In the resulting cross-sections we observed a tight coupling between the HL-1 cells and the gold nanostructures. However, the cell membranes did not bend into the cleft between adjacent nanopillars due to the high pillar density. We performed extracellular potential recordings from HL-1 cells with the nanostructured microelectrode arrays. The maximal amplitudes recorded with the nanopillar electrodes were up to 100% higher than those recorded with planar gold electrodes. Increasing the aspect ratio of the gold nanopillars and changing the geometrical layout can further enhance the signal quality in the future.

STM observation of a box-shaped graphene nanostructure appeared after mechanical cleavage of pyrolytic graphite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lapshin, Rostislav V., E-mail: rlapshin@gmail.com [Solid Nanotechnology Laboratory, Institute of Physical Problems, Zelenograd, Moscow 124460 (Russian Federation); Department of Photosensitive Nano and Microsystems, Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology, Zelenograd, Moscow 124498 (Russian Federation)

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A previously unknown 3D box-shaped graphene (BSG) nanostructure has been detected. • The nanostructure is a multilayer system of parallel nanochannels having quadrangular cross-section. • Typical width of a nanochannel facet makes 25 nm, typical wall/facet thickness is 1 nm. • A mechanism qualitatively explaining the nanostructure formation has been proposed. • Possible applications of the BSG nanostructure are briefly discussed. - Abstract: A description is given of a three-dimensional box-shaped graphene (BSG) nanostructure formed/uncovered by mechanical cleavage of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The discovered nanostructure is a multilayer system of parallel hollow channels located along the surface and having quadrangular cross-section. The thickness of the channel walls/facets is approximately equal to 1 nm. The typical width of channel facets makes about 25 nm, the channel length is 390 nm and more. The investigation of the found nanostructure by means of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) allows us to draw a conclusion that it is possible to make spatial constructions of graphene similar to the discovered one by mechanical compression, bending, splitting, and shifting graphite surface layers. The distinctive features of such constructions are the following: simplicity of the preparation method, small contact area between graphene planes and a substrate, large surface area, nanometer cross-sectional sizes of the channels, large aspect ratio. Potential fields of application include: ultra-sensitive detectors, high-performance catalytic cells, nanochannels for DNA manipulation, nanomechanical resonators, electron multiplication channels, high-capacity sorbents for hydrogen storage.

Current status of nanostructured tungsten-based materials development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurishita, H; Matsuo, S; Arakawa, H; Hatakeyama, M; Shikama, T; Sakamoto, T; Kobayashi, S; Nakai, K; Okano, H; Watanabe, H; Yoshida, N; Torikai, Y; Hatano, Y; Takida, T; Kato, M; Ikegaya, A; Ueda, Y

2014-01-01

Nanostructured tungsten (W)-based materials offer many advantages for use as plasma facing materials and components exposed to heavy thermal loads combined with irradiation with high-energy neutron and low-energy ion. This paper first presents the recent progress in nanostructured toughened, fine grained, recrystallized W materials. Thermal desorption spectrometry apparatus equipped with an ion gun has been installed in the radiation controlled area in our Center at Tohoku University to systematically investigate the effects of displacement damage due to high-energy neutron irradiation on hydrogen isotope retention in connection with the nano- or micro-structures in W-based materials. In this paper, the effects of high-energy heavy ion irradiation on deuterium retention in W with different microstructures are described as a preliminary work with the prospective view of neutron irradiation effects. (paper)

Engineered valley-orbit splittings in quantum-confined nanostructures in silicon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rahman, R.; Verduijn, J.; Kharche, N.; Lansbergen, G.P.; Klimeck, G.; Hollenberg, L.C.L.; Rogge, S.

2011-01-01

An important challenge in silicon quantum electronics in the few electron regime is the potentially small energy gap between the ground and excited orbital states in 3D quantum confined nanostructures due to the multiple valley degeneracies of the conduction band present in silicon. Understanding

HFCVD growth of various carbon nanostructures on SWCNT paper controlled by surface treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varga, M.; Izak, T.; Kromka, A.; Kotlar, M.; Vretenar, V.; Ledinsky, M.; Michalka, M.; Skakalova, V.; Vesely, M.

2012-01-01

In this article, we investigate the nanocomposite material formation, particularly the deposition of nanocrystalline diamond and carbon nanowalls (CNWs) on single-wall carbon nanotubes buckypaper (BP). One part of the buckypaper substrate was nucleated by nanodiamond powder. The growth was carried out in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) system. Contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used for the surface morphology analysis and characterization of carbon phases. Due to a different surface pretreatment, different carbon nanostructures were formed: diamond film was grown on the nucleated BP area; non-treated area of the BP was covered with a dense field of CNWs. Covering a part of the BP surface prevented an access of the HF-plasma and so the growth of any carbon structures. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Semiconductors and semimetals nanostructured systems

CERN Document Server

Willardson, Robert K; Beer, Albert C; Reed, Mark A

1992-01-01

This is the first available volume to consolidate prominent topics in the emerging field of nanostructured systems. Recent technological advancements have led to a new era of nanostructure physics, allowing for the fabrication of nanostructures whose behavior is dominated by quantum interference effects. This new capability has enthused the experimentalist and theorist alike. Innumerable possibilities have now opened up for physical exploration and device technology on the nanoscale. This book, with contributions from five pioneering researchers, will allow the expert and novice alike to explore a fascinating new field.Provides a state-of-the-art review of quantum-scale artificially nanostructured electronic systemsIncludes contributions by world-known experts in the fieldOpens the field to the non-expert with a concise introductionFeatures discussions of:Low-dimensional condensed matter physicsProperties of nanostructured, ultrasmall electronic systemsMesoscopic physics and quantum transportPhysics of 2D ele...

Nanomechanical characterization of nanostructured bainitic steel: Peak Force Microscopy and Nanoindentation with AFM.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales-Rivas, Lucia; González-Orive, Alejandro; Garcia-Mateo, Carlos; Hernández-Creus, Alberto; Caballero, Francisca G; Vázquez, Luis

2015-11-25

The full understanding of the deformation mechanisms in nanostructured bainite requires the local characterization of its mechanical properties, which are expected to change from one phase, bainitic ferrite, to another, austenite. This study becomes a challenging process due to the bainitic nanostructured nature and high Young's modulus. In this work, we have carried out such study by means of the combination of AFM-based techniques, such as nanoindentation and Peak Force Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping (PF-QNM) measurements. We have addressed critically the limits and advantages of these techniques and been able to measure some elastoplastic parameters of both phases. Specifically, we have analyzed by PF-QNM two nanostructured bainitic steels, with a finer and a coarser structure, and found that both phases have a similar Young's modulus.

Triblock copolymer-mediated synthesis of catalytically active gold nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Douglas C.; de Souza, Viviane C.; Vasconcelos, Diego A.; Andrade, George R. S.; Gimenez, Iara F.; Teixeira, Zaine

2018-04-01

The design of nanostructures based on poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) and metal nanoparticles is becoming an important research topic due to their multiple functionalities in different fields, including nanomedicine and catalysis. In this work, water-soluble gold nanoparticles have been prepared through a green aqueous synthesis method using Pluronic F127 as both reducing and stabilizing agents. The size dependence (varying from 2 to 70 nm) and stability of gold nanoparticles were systematically studied by varying some parameters of synthesis, which were the polymer concentration, temperature, and exposure to UV-A light, being monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy and TEM. Also, an elaborated study regarding to the kinetic of formation (nucleation and growth) was presented. Finally, the as-prepared Pluronic-capped gold nanoparticles have shown excellent catalytic activity towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol with sodium borohydride, in which a higher catalytic performance was exhibited when compared with gold nanoparticles prepared by classical reduction method using sodium citrate. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Toward Highly Efficient Nanostructured Solar Cells Using Concurrent Electrical and Optical Design

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hsin-Ping

2017-07-11

Recent technological advances in conventional planar and microstructured solar cell architectures have significantly boosted the efficiencies of these devices near the corresponding theoretical values. Nanomaterials and nanostructures have promising potential to push the theoretical limits of solar cell efficiency even higher using the intrinsic advantages associated with these materials, including efficient photon management, rapid charge transfer, and short charge collection distances. However, at present the efficiency of nanostructured solar cells remains lower than that of conventional solar devices due to the accompanying losses associated with the employment of nanomaterials. The concurrent design of both optical and electrical components will presumably be an imperative route toward breaking the present-day limit of nanostructured solar cells. This review summarizes the losses in traditional solar cells, and then discusses recent advances in applications of nanotechnology to solar devices from both optical and electrical perspectives. Finally, a rule for nanostructured solar cells by concurrently engineering the optical and electrical design is devised. Following these guidelines should allow for exceeding the theoretical limit of solar cell efficiency soon.

Characterization of nanostructured CuO-porous silicon matrix formed on copper-coated silicon substrate via electrochemical etching

Science.gov (United States)

Naddaf, M.; Mrad, O.; Al-zier, A.

2014-06-01

A pulsed anodic etching method has been utilized for nanostructuring of a copper-coated p-type (100) silicon substrate, using HF-based solution as electrolyte. Scanning electron microscopy reveals the formation of a nanostructured matrix that consists of island-like textures with nanosize grains grown onto fiber-like columnar structures separated with etch pits of grooved porous structures. Spatial micro-Raman scattering analysis indicates that the island-like texture is composed of single-phase cupric oxide (CuO) nanocrystals, while the grooved porous structure is barely related to formation of porous silicon (PS). X-ray diffraction shows that both the grown CuO nanostructures and the etched silicon layer have the same preferred (220) orientation. Chemical composition obtained by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis confirms the presence of the single-phase CuO on the surface of the patterned CuO-PS matrix. As compared to PS formed on the bare silicon substrate, the room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) from the CuO-PS matrix exhibits an additional weak `blue' PL band as well as a blue shift in the PL band of PS (S-band). This has been revealed from XPS analysis to be associated with the enhancement in the SiO2 content as well as formation of the carbonyl group on the surface in the case of the CuO-PS matrix.

Printable nanostructured silicon solar cells for high-performance, large-area flexible photovoltaics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sung-Min; Biswas, Roshni; Li, Weigu; Kang, Dongseok; Chan, Lesley; Yoon, Jongseung

2014-10-28

Nanostructured forms of crystalline silicon represent an attractive materials building block for photovoltaics due to their potential benefits to significantly reduce the consumption of active materials, relax the requirement of materials purity for high performance, and hence achieve greatly improved levelized cost of energy. Despite successful demonstrations for their concepts over the past decade, however, the practical application of nanostructured silicon solar cells for large-scale implementation has been hampered by many existing challenges associated with the consumption of the entire wafer or expensive source materials, difficulties to precisely control materials properties and doping characteristics, or restrictions on substrate materials and scalability. Here we present a highly integrable materials platform of nanostructured silicon solar cells that can overcome these limitations. Ultrathin silicon solar microcells integrated with engineered photonic nanostructures are fabricated directly from wafer-based source materials in configurations that can lower the materials cost and can be compatible with deterministic assembly procedures to allow programmable, large-scale distribution, unlimited choices of module substrates, as well as lightweight, mechanically compliant constructions. Systematic studies on optical and electrical properties, photovoltaic performance in experiments, as well as numerical modeling elucidate important design rules for nanoscale photon management with ultrathin, nanostructured silicon solar cells and their interconnected, mechanically flexible modules, where we demonstrate 12.4% solar-to-electric energy conversion efficiency for printed ultrathin (∼ 8 μm) nanostructured silicon solar cells when configured with near-optimal designs of rear-surface nanoposts, antireflection coating, and back-surface reflector.

Complex Nanostructures by Pulsed Droplet Epitaxy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noboyuki Koguchi

2011-06-01

Full Text Available What makes three dimensional semiconductor quantum nanostructures so attractive is the possibility to tune their electronic properties by careful design of their size and composition. These parameters set the confinement potential of electrons and holes, thus determining the electronic and optical properties of the nanostructure. An often overlooked parameter, which has an even more relevant effect on the electronic properties of the nanostructure, is shape. Gaining a strong control over the electronic properties via shape tuning is the key to access subtle electronic design possibilities. The Pulsed Dropled Epitaxy is an innovative growth method for the fabrication of quantum nanostructures with highly designable shapes and complex morphologies. With Pulsed Dropled Epitaxy it is possible to combine different nanostructures, namely quantum dots, quantum rings and quantum disks, with tunable sizes and densities, into a single multi-function nanostructure, thus allowing an unprecedented control over electronic properties.

Spectroscopically forbidden infra-red emission in Au-vertical graphene hybrid nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Sivadasan, A. K.; Parida, Santanu; Ghosh, Subrata; Pandian, Ramanathaswamy; Dhara, Sandip

2017-11-01

Implementation of Au nanoparticles (NPs) is a subject for frontier plasmonic research due to its fascinating optical properties. Herein, the present study deals with plasmonic assisted emission properties of Au NPs-vertical graphene (VG) hybrid nanostructures. The influence of effective polarizability of Au NPs on the surface enhanced Raman scattering and luminescence properties is investigated. In addition, a remarkable infra-red emission in the hybrid nanostructures is observed and interpreted on the basis of intra-band transitions in Au NPs. The flake-like nanoporous VG structure is invoked for the generation of additional confined photons to impart additional momentum and a gradient of confined excitation energy towards initiating the intra-band transitions of Au NPs. Integrating Au plasmonic materials in three-dimensional VG nanostructures enhances the light-matter interactions. The present study provides a new adaptable plasmonic assisted pathway for optoelectronic and sensing applications.

Solvothermal synthesis of copper sulfide semiconductor micro/nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Jun; Xue, Dongfeng

2010-01-01

Covellite copper sulfide (CuS) micro/nanometer crystals in the shape of hierarchical doughnut-shaped, superstructured spheric-shaped and flowerlike architectures congregated from those nanoplates with the thickness of 20-100 nm have been prepared by a solvothermal method. The as-obtained CuS products were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). A systematic investigation has been carried out to understand the factors influencing the evolution of CuS particle morphology which found to be predominant by solvent, surfactant, sulfur resource and copper salt. The possible formation mechanism for the nanostructure formation was also discussed. These CuS products show potential applications in solar cell, photothermal conversion and chemical sensor.

Synthesis, morphology, optical and photocatalytic performance of nanostructured β-Ga2O3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girija, K.; Thirumalairajan, S.; Avadhani, G.S.; Mangalaraj, D.; Ponpandian, N.; Viswanathan, C.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Nanostructures of β-Ga 2 O 3 were prepared using facile reflux condensation process. ► The pH of the reaction mixture shows evident influence on the size and shape of the nanostructures formed. ► The nanostructures exhibited good photocatalytic activity toward Rhodamine B and was found to be superior for higher pH value. - Abstract: Fine powders of β-Ga 2 O 3 nanostructures were prepared via low temperature reflux condensation method by varying the pH value without using any surfactant. The pH value of reaction mixture had great influence on the morphology of final products. High crystalline single phase β-Ga 2 O 3 nanostructures were obtained by thermal treatment at 900 °C which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The morphological analysis revealed rod like nanostructures at lower and higher pH values of 6 and 10, while spindle like structures were obtained at pH = 8. The phase purity and presence of vibrational bands were identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The optical absorbance spectrum showed intense absorption features in the UV spectral region. A broad blue emission peak centered at 441 nm due to donor–acceptor gallium–oxygen vacancy pair recombination appeared. The photocatalytic activity toward Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation was higher for nanorods at pH 10

Evaluation of charge storage ability of chrome doped Mn2O3 nanostructures derived by cathodic electrodeposition

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Hamideh Darjazi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A facile synthetic route has been proposed to prepare cauliflower-like nanostructures of Cr doped Mn2O3. The synthesis was carried out by constant current cathodic electrodeposition from Mn2+ nitrate solutions containing minor amounts of dichromate. It was found that the presence of Cr mediates the formation of cathodic MnO2 which then reacts with the excess Mn2+ species to form Mn2O3 nanostructures. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA were used to characterize the nanostructures. The storage ability of the obtained nanostructures was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV in 0.5 M Na2SO4 solution. The results indicated that the Cr doped manganese oxide material shows better performance than the non-doped one, and the charge capacity (SC of doped manganese oxide (218 F/g was higher than pure manganese oxide (208 F/g.

Effects of fibre-form nanostructures on particle emissions from a tungsten surface in plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takamura, S.; Miyamoto, T.; Ohno, N.

2012-01-01

The effects of fibre-form nanostructure of a tungsten surface on both electron emission and sputtering in helium/argon plasmas are represented. Generally, a nano-fibre forest, the so-called ‘fuzz’, made of tungsten with helium gas inside is found to have the tendency of suppressing the particle emission substantially. The electron emission comes from the impact of high-energy primary electrons. In addition, a deeply biased tungsten target, which inhibits the influx of even energetic primary electrons, seems to produce an electron emission, and it may be suppressed on the way to nanostructure formation on the surface of the W target. Such an emission process is discussed here. The sputtering yield of the He-damaged tungsten surface with the fibre-form nanostructure depends on the surface morphology while the sputtering itself changes the surface morphology, so that the time evolutions of sputtering yield from the W surface with an originally well-developed nanostructure are found to show a minimum in sputtering yield, which is about a half for the fresh nanostructured tungsten and roughly one-fifth of the yield for the original flat normal tungsten surface. The surface morphology at that time is, for the first time, made clear with field emission scanning electron microscopy observation. The physical mechanism for the appearance of such a minimum in sputtering yield is discussed. (paper)

Epicrystal modification of construction composites of different purpose with application of granulated nanostructured aggregate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

STROKOVA Valeria Valerievna

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The paper shows that the volume impregnation of the concrete matrix in case of using granular nanostructured aggregate is an example of several anthropogenic metasomatosis such as phase replacement with the change of the chemical composition, as well as formation of new paragenesises, transformation of characteristics of final material. It is shown the impregnation of concrete with modifying solution results in microstructure impaction and homogenization; grain surface is covered with micro- and nano-sized new formations with different morphology. Considering the relevance of researches related to the development of new lightweight concrete aggregates and modification of traditionally used aggregates application of nanostructured granular aggregate for the implementation epicrystal modification of lightweight concrete based on inorganic binders is proposed. It allows creating composite macroporous structure with joint modification of the matrix on nano- and microlevel. Also, in view of increase in number of researches devoted to alkali-activated silicate and aluminosilicate systems for application as individually and as modifiers for increasing of hydrophobic properties of building materials, the possibility of creating a fine-grained concrete with low water absorption by the introduction of hydrophobic additives into the composition of granular nanostructured aggregate is demonstrated. During the steam treatment the fluids from solutions of sodium polysilicates and hydrophobic additives are form at the core of the granular aggregate with its later migration through the shell of the granules and spreading in the volume of the concrete matrix. Improving of performance characteristics presented construction composites for various purposes is defined by the infiltrational metasomatic transformation of crystalline matrix with the activated functional systems, obtained during the thermal activation of granulated nanostructured aggregate.

Near-field study with a photon scanning tunneling microscope: Comparison between dielectric nanostructure and metallic nanostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmoud, Mahmoud Youcef; Bassou, Ghaouti; Salomon, Laurant; Chekroun, Z.; Djamai, Nesrine

2007-01-01

Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) integrates standard optical methods with scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques allowing to collect optical information with resolution well beyond the diffraction limit. We study the influence on image formation of several parameters in scanning near-field microscopy. The numerical calculations have been carried out using the differential method. We investigate a 2D-PSTM configuration with a dielectric rectangular object. We will focus on the collection type SNOM in a constant height scanning mode. Various oscillation patterns are observed from both sides of the nanostructure, which we interpret as interference between the diffracted waves scattered by the nanostructure (with the components of the wave vector parallel to the surface) and the evanescent incident wave above the surface. Using an optical near-field analysis and by calculating the electric field intensity distribution, we investigate the probe-sample distance effect. It is found that the distribution of the intensity related to the electric field is depending on sample-probe distance. We noticed the loss of details in the image and the presence of dramatic oscillations. Also, both of the polarization state of the illuminating light effect and the angle of incidence are investigated. We conclude that a differential method provides physical insight into the main features of the different images

Near-field study with a photon scanning tunneling microscope: Comparison between dielectric nanostructure and metallic nanostructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahmoud, Mahmoud Youcef [Laboratoire d' elaboration et caracterisation des materiaux, Groupe de Microscopie et Microanalyse, Universite Djilali Liabes de Sidi Bel-Abbes, Faculte des sciences (Algeria)], E-mail: mahmoudhamoud@yahoo.com; Bassou, Ghaouti [Laboratoire d' elaboration et caracterisation des materiaux, Groupe de Microscopie et Microanalyse, Universite Djilali Liabes de Sidi Bel-Abbes, Faculte des sciences (Algeria); Laboratoire de Physique (LPUB), CNRS UMR 5027, Groupe d' Optique de Champ Proche, Faculte des Sciences Mirande, Universite de Bourgogne, 9 Avenue Alain Savary, BP 47 870, 21078 Dijon Cedex (France); Salomon, Laurant [Laboratoire de Physique (LPUB), CNRS UMR 5027, Groupe d' Optique de Champ Proche, Faculte des Sciences Mirande, Universite de Bourgogne, 9 Avenue Alain Savary, BP 47 870, 21078 Dijon Cedex (France); Chekroun, Z. [Laboratoire d' elaboration et caracterisation des materiaux, Groupe de Microscopie et Microanalyse, Universite Djilali Liabes de Sidi Bel-Abbes, Faculte des sciences (Algeria); Djamai, Nesrine [Laboratoire de telecommunications et de traitement numerique du signal (LTTNS), Universite Djilali Liabes de Sidi Bel-Abbes, Faculte des sciences de l' ingenieur, Departement d' electronique (Algeria)

2007-08-25

Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) integrates standard optical methods with scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques allowing to collect optical information with resolution well beyond the diffraction limit. We study the influence on image formation of several parameters in scanning near-field microscopy. The numerical calculations have been carried out using the differential method. We investigate a 2D-PSTM configuration with a dielectric rectangular object. We will focus on the collection type SNOM in a constant height scanning mode. Various oscillation patterns are observed from both sides of the nanostructure, which we interpret as interference between the diffracted waves scattered by the nanostructure (with the components of the wave vector parallel to the surface) and the evanescent incident wave above the surface. Using an optical near-field analysis and by calculating the electric field intensity distribution, we investigate the probe-sample distance effect. It is found that the distribution of the intensity related to the electric field is depending on sample-probe distance. We noticed the loss of details in the image and the presence of dramatic oscillations. Also, both of the polarization state of the illuminating light effect and the angle of incidence are investigated. We conclude that a differential method provides physical insight into the main features of the different images.

Predicting Chiral Nanostructures, Lattices and Superlattices in Complex Multicomponent Nanoparticle Self-Assembly

KAUST Repository

Hur, Kahyun

2012-06-13

"Bottom up" type nanoparticle (NP) self-assembly is expected to provide facile routes to nanostructured materials for various, for example, energy related, applications. Despite progress in simulations and theories, structure prediction of self-assembled materials beyond simple model systems remains challenging. Here we utilize a field theory approach for predicting nanostructure of complex and multicomponent hybrid systems with multiple types of short- and long-range interactions. We propose design criteria for controlling a range of NP based nanomaterial structures. In good agreement with recent experiments, the theory predicts that ABC triblock terpolymer directed assemblies with ligand-stabilized NPs can lead to chiral NP network structures. Furthermore, we predict that long-range Coulomb interactions between NPs leading to simple NP lattices, when applied to NP/block copolymer (BCP) assemblies, induce NP superlattice formation within the phase separated BCP nanostructure, a strategy not yet realized experimentally. We expect such superlattices to be of increasing interest to communities involved in research on, for example, energy generation and storage, metamaterials, as well as microelectronics and information storage. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

A Generalizable Top-Down Nanostructuring Method of Bulk Oxides: Sequential Oxygen-Nitrogen Exchange Reaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Lanlee; Kang, Byungwuk; Han, Suyoung; Kim, Hee-Eun; Lee, Moo Dong; Bang, Jin Ho

2018-05-27

A thermal reaction route that induces grain fracture instead of grain growth is devised and developed as a top-down approach to prepare nanostructured oxides from bulk solids. This novel synthesis approach, referred to as the sequential oxygen-nitrogen exchange (SONE) reaction, exploits the reversible anion exchange between oxygen and nitrogen in oxides that is driven by a simple two-step thermal treatment in ammonia and air. Internal stress developed by significant structural rearrangement via the formation of (oxy)nitride and the creation of oxygen vacancies and their subsequent combination into nanopores transforms bulk solid oxides into nanostructured oxides. The SONE reaction can be applicable to most transition metal oxides, and when utilized in a lithium-ion battery, the produced nanostructured materials are superior to their bulk counterparts and even comparable to those produced by conventional bottom-up approaches. Given its simplicity and scalability, this synthesis method could open a new avenue to the development of high-performance nanostructured electrode materials that can meet the industrial demand of cost-effectiveness for mass production. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ethanol gas sensing performance of high-dimensional fuzz metal oxide nanostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Ibano, Kenzo; Kimura, Yoshihiro; Sugahara, Tohru; Lee, Heun Tae; Ueda, Yoshio

2018-04-01

Gas sensing ability of the He plasma induced fiber-like nanostructure, so-called fuzz structure, was firstly examined. A thin Mo layer deposited on a quartz surface was irradiated by He plasma to form the fuzz structure and oxidized by annealing in a quartz furnace. Electric conductivity of the fuzz Mo oxide layer was then measured through the Au electrodes deposited on the layer. Changes in electric conductivity by C2H5OH gas flow were examined as a function of temperature from 200 to 400 °C. Improved sensitivities were observed for the specimens after a fuzz nanostructure formation. However, the sensor developed in this study showed lower sensitivities than previously reported MoO3 nano-rod sensor, further optimization of oxidation is needed to improve the sensitivity.

In vivo evaluation of a simvastatin-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier for bone tissue regeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue, Xinxin; Niu, Mao; Zhang, Te; Wang, Cheng; Wu, Wangxi; Zhang, Qi; Lai, Chunhua; Zhou, Lei; Wang, Zhonglei

2016-01-01

Alveolar bone loss has long been a challenge in clinical dental implant therapy. Simvastatin (SV) has been demonstrated to exert excellent anabolic effects on bone. However, the successful use of SV to increase bone formation in vivo largely depends on the local concentration of SV at the site of action, and there have been continuing efforts to develop an appropriate delivery system. Specifically, nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) systems have become a popular type of encapsulation carrier system. Therefore, SV-loaded NLCs (SNs) (179.4 nm in diameter) were fabricated in this study, and the osteogenic effect of the SNs was evaluated in a critical-sized rabbit calvarial defect. Our results revealed that the SNs significantly enhanced bone formation in vivo, as evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemistry, and a fluorescence analysis. Thus, this novel nanostructured carrier system could be a potential encapsulation carrier system for SV in bone regeneration applications. (paper)

Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Jansi Rani, B.; Mageswari, R.; Ravi, G.; Ganesh, V.; Yuvakkumar, R.

2017-12-01

The influence of processing parameters on the physicochemical properties of hematite α-Fe2O3 nanostructures was investigated. X-ray diffraction results revealed the hematite phase rhombohedral structure. Scanning electron microscope results explored nanospheres, nanohexagonal platelets, nanoellipsoids, distorted nanocubes, and interconnected platelets nanostructures. Rhombohedral single-phase hematite was confirmed through five Raman active modes. 2 P 3/2 (1) → 2 P 1/2 transition in photoluminescence spectra and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy band observed at 555 cm-1 revealed the hematite formation. The highest specific capacitance value of 151.09 F/g for scan rate of 10 mV/s was obtained for the hydrothermal-assisted product using an Fe(NO3)2·9H2O precursor in KOH electrolyte solutions.

Luminescence lifetime enhanced by exciton-plasmon couple in hybrid CsPbBr3 perovskite/Pt nanostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chunxu; Zhang, Jisen; Chen, Yongyi; Jing, Pengtao; Zhang, Ligong; Zhao, Haifeng; Fu, Xihong; Wang, Lijun

2018-02-01

Photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved spectroscopic studies on plasmonically coupled semiconductor nanoparticles (SNPs) have demonstrated the PL quenched and lifetime enhanced of SNPs in the presence of metal nanoparticles (MNPs). The hybrid colloidal CsPbBr3 perovskite SNPs/Pt MNPs (S-M) structures exhibit novel optical properties due to the synergetic interaction between the individual components. In hybrid S-M nanostructures colloidal chemistry incorporates SNP and MNP into a single unit resulting in the formation of plexciton (or excimon) which has now been established in a series of hybrid structures. The experimental results of femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy based on the time-resolved pump-probe confirm the transformation from excitons to plexcitons. It was found that the experimental data can’t be well described by the theory based on conventional Fӧster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The differences between theory and experiment may be due to the missing some PbBr2 PL peaks, the reason will be revealed further.

Thermoresponsive self-assembly of nanostructures from a collagen-like peptide-containing diblock copolymer.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Tianzhi; He, Lirong; Theato, Patrick; Kiick, Kristi L

2015-01-01

Temperature-triggered formation of nanostructures with distinct biological activity offers opportunities in selective modification of matrices and in drug delivery. Toward these ends, diblock polymers comprising poly(diethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate) (PDEGMEMA) conjugated to a triple helix-forming collagen-like peptide were produced. Triggered by the collapse of the thermoresponsive domain above its LCST, the conjugate undergoes a reversible transition in aqueous solution to form well-defined nanovesicles with diameters of approximately 100 nm, with a transition temperature of 37 °C. The incorporation of CLP domains in these nanostructures may offer opportunities for the selective targeting of collagen-containing matrices. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

White emission from nano-structured top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes based on a blue emitting layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyun, Woo Jin; Park, Jung Jin; Park, O Ok; Im, Sang Hyuk; Chin, Byung Doo

2013-01-01

We demonstrated that white emission can be obtained from nano-structured top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (TEOLEDs) based on a blue emitting layer (EML). The nano-structured TEOLEDs were fabricated on nano-patterned substrates, in which both optical micro-cavity and scattering effects occur simultaneously. Due to the combination of these two effects, the electroluminescence spectra of the nano-structured device with a blue EML exhibited not only blue but also yellow colours, which corresponded to the intrinsic emission of the EML and the resonant emission of the micro-cavity effect. Consequently, it was possible to produce white emission from nano-structured TEOLEDs without employing a multimode micro-cavity. The intrinsic emission wavelength can be varied by altering the dopant used for the EML. Furthermore, the emissive characteristics turned out to be strongly dependent on the nano-pattern sizes of the nano-structured devices. (paper)

Dynamics of seed magnetic island formation due to geometrically coupled perturbations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegna, C.C.; Callen, J.D.; LaHaye, R.J.

1998-06-01

Seed magnetic island formation due to a dynamically growing external source in toroidal confinement devices is modeled as an initial value forced reconnection problem. For an external source whose amplitude grows on a time scale quickly compared to the Sweet-Parker time of resistive magnetohydrodynamics, the induced reconnection is characterized by a current sheet and a reconnected flux amplitude which lags in time the source amplitude. This suggests that neoclassical tearing modes, whose excitation requires a seed magnetic island, are more difficult to cause in high Lundquist number plasmas

Canted antiferromagnetic and optical properties of nanostructures of Mn2O3 prepared by hydrothermal synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Javed, Qurat-ul-ain; Feng-Ping Wang; Rafique, M. Yasir; Toufiq, Arbab Mohammad; Iqbal, M. Zubair

2012-01-01

We have reported new magnetic and optical properties of Mn 2 O 3 nanostructures. The nanostructures have been synthesized by the hydrothermal method combined with the adjustment of pH values in the reaction system. The particular characteristics of the nanostructures have been analyzed by employing X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy (RS), UV—visible spectroscopy, and the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Structural investigation manifests that the synthesized Mn 2 O 3 nanostructures are orthorhombic crystal. Magnetic investigation indicates that the Mn 2 O 3 nanostructures are antiferromagnetic and the antiferromagnetic transition temperature is at T N = 83 K. Furthermore, the Mn 2 O 3 nanostructures possess canted antiferromagnetic order below the Neel temperature due to spin frustration, resulting in hysteresis with large coercivity (1580 Oe) and remnant magnetization (1.52 emu/g). The UV—visible spectrophotometry was used to determine the transmittance behaviour of Mn 2 O 3 nanostructures. A direct optical band gap of 1.2 eV was acquired by using the Davis—Mott model. The UV—visible spectrum indicates that the absorption is prominent in the visible region, and transparency is more than 80% in the UV region

Contribution of Nanostructures in High Performance Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Aly, Abouelmaaty M.; Ebrahim, Essamudin A.; Sweelem, Emad

2017-11-01

Nanotechnology has great contributions in various fields, especially in solar energy conversion through solar cells (SCs). Nanostructured SCs can provide high performance with lower fabrication costs. The transition from fossil fuel energy to renewable sustainable energy represents a major technological challenge for the world. In the last years, the industry of SCs has grown rapidly due to strong attention in renewable energy in order to handle the problem of global climate change that is now believed to occur due to use of the fossil fuels. Cost is an influential factor in the eventual success of any solar technology, since inexpensive SCs are needed to produce electricity, especially for rural areas and for third world countries. Therefore, new developments in nanotechnology may open the door for the production of inexpensive and more efficient SCs by reducing the manufacturing costs of SCs. Utilizing nanotechnology in cheaper SCs will help maintain the environment. This article covers a review of the progress that has been made to-date to enhance efficiencies of various nanostructures used in SCs, including utilizations of all the wavelengths present in of the solar spectrum.

Patterned titania nanostructures produced by electrochemical anodization of titanium sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Junzhe; Ariyanti, Dessy; Gao, Wei; Niu, Zhenjiang; Weil, Emeline

2017-07-01

A two-step anodization method has been used to produce patterned arrays of TiO2 on the surface of Ti sheet. Hexagonal ripples were created on Ti substrate after removing the TiO2 layer produced by first-step anodization. The shallow concaves were served as an ideal position for the subsequent step anodization due to their low electrical resistance, resulting in novel hierarchical nanostructures with small pits inside the original ripples. The mechanism of morphology evolution during patterned anodization was studied through changing the anodizing voltages and duration time. This work provides a new idea for controlling nanostructures and thus tailoring the photocatalytic property and wettability of anodic TiO2.

Synchrotron diffraction characterization of nanostructured KY3F10:Tb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichikawa, Rodrigo U.; Teixeira, Maria I.; Ranieri, Izilda M.; Martinez, Luis G.; Linhares, Horacio M.S.M.D.; Turrillas, Xavier

2015-01-01

Nanostructured rare-earth fluorides materials are being intensively studied recently due to their potential applications in high-dose dosimetry. Particularly, nanostructured Tb-doped KY 3 F 10 has shown satisfactory results to be used in this area. In the present work, the structure and microstructure of KY 3 F 10 :Tb was investigated by means of X-ray synchrotron diffraction. One of the samples was analyzed as synthesized and another after a heat treatment. Rietveld refinement of synchrotron diffraction data was applied to obtain cell parameters, atomic positions and atomic displacement factors and the results were compared to values found in literature. X-ray line profile analysis methods were applied to determine mean crystallite sizes and their distribution. (author)

Hybrid Nanostructures Containing Sulfadiazine Modified Chitosan as Antimicrobial Drug Carriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdanel Silvestru Munteanu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Chitosan (CH nanofibrous structures containing sulfadiazine (SDZ or sulfadiazine modified chitosan (SCH in the form of functional nanoparticles attached to nanofibers (hybrid nanostructures were obtained by mono-axial and coaxial electrospinning. The mono-axial design consisted of a SDZ/CH mixture solution fed through a single nozzle while the coaxial design consisted of SCH and CH solutions separately supplied to the inner and outer nozzle (or in reverse order. The CH ability to form nanofibers assured the formation of a nanofiber mesh, while SDZ and SCH, both in form of suspensions in the electrospun solution, assured the formation of active nanoparticles which remained attached to the CH nanofiber mesh after the electrospinning process. The obtained nanostructures were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM. The SDZ release profiles and kinetics were analyzed. The SDZ or SCH nanoparticles loosely attached at the surface of the nanofibers, provide a burst release in the first 20 min, which is important to stop the possible initial infection in a wound, while the SDZ and SCH from the nanoparticles which are better confined (or even encapsulated into the CH nanofibers would be slowly released with the erosion/disruption of the CH nanofiber mesh.

Optical and structural properties of carbon dots/TiO2 nanostructures prepared via DC arc discharge in liquid

Science.gov (United States)

Biazar, Nooshin; Poursalehi, Reza; Delavari, Hamid

2018-01-01

Synthesis and development of visible active catalysts is an important issue in photocatalytic applications of nanomaterials. TiO2 nanostructures coupled with carbon dots demonstrate a considerable photocatalytic activity in visible wavelengths. Extending optical absorption of a wide band gap semiconductor such as TiO2 with carbon dots is the origin of the visible activity of carbon dots modified semiconductor nanostructures. In addition, carbon dots exhibit high photostability, appropriate electron transport and chemical stability without considerable toxicity or environmental footprints. In this study, optical and structural properties of carbon dots/TiO2 nanostructures prepared via (direct current) DC arc discharge in liquid were investigated. Crystal structure, morphology and optical properties of the samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-visible spectroscopy respectively. SEM images show formation of spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 27 nm. In comparison with pristine TiO2, optical transmission spectrum of carbon dots/TiO2 nanostructures demonstrates an absorption edge at longer wavelengths as well a high optical absorption in visible wavelengths which is significant for visible activity of nanostructures as a photocatalyst. Finally, these results can provide a flexible and versatile pathway for synthesis of carbon dots/oxide semiconductor nanostructures with an appropriate activity under visible light.

Electrochemical synthesis of nanostructured Se-doped SnS: Effect of Se-dopant on surface characterizations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kafashan, Hosein, E-mail: hosein840521@gmail.com; Azizieh, Mahdi; Balak, Zohre

2017-07-15

Highlights: • Nanostructured SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} thin films were prepared by using electrodeposition method. • The XRD patterns obviously showed that the synthesized films were polycrystalline. • The PL spectra of SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} thin films showed four emission peaks. • The UV–vis spectra shows a variation in the optical band gap energy of SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} thin films from 1.22 to 1.65 eV. • SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} thin films would be suitable for use as absorber layers. - Abstract: SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} nanostructures with different Se-dopant concentrations were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate through cathodic electrodeposition technique. The pH, temperature, applied potential (E), and deposition time remained were 2.1, 60 °C, −1 V, and 30 min, respectively. SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} nanostructures were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microcopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), room temperature photoluminescence (PL), and UV–vis spectroscopy. The XRD patterns revealed that the SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} nanostructures were polycrystalline with orthorhombic structure. FESEM showed various kinds of morphologies in SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} nanostructures due to Se-doping. PL and UV–vis spectroscopy were used to evaluate the optical properties of SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} thin films. The PL spectra of SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} nanostructures displayed four emission peaks, those are a blue, a green, an orange, and a red emission. UV–vis spectra showed that the optical band gap energy (E{sub g}) of SnS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} nanostructures varied between 1.22–1.65 eV, due to Se-doping.

Development of Nanostructured Antireflection Coatings for Infrared and Electro-Optical Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gopal G. Pethuraja

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Electro-optic infrared technologies and systems operating from ultraviolet (UV to long-wave infrared (LWIR spectra are being developed for a variety of defense and commercial systems applications. Loss of a significant portion of the incident signal due to reflection limits the performance of electro-optic infrared (IR sensing systems. A critical technology being developed to overcome this limitation and enhance the performance of sensing systems is advanced antireflection (AR coatings. Magnolia is actively involved in the development and advancement of nanostructured AR coatings for a wide variety of defense and commercial applications. Ultrahigh AR performance has been demonstrated for UV to LWIR spectral bands on various substrates. The AR coatings enhance the optical transmission through optical components and devices by significantly minimizing reflection losses, a substantial improvement over conventional thin-film AR coating technologies. Nanostructured AR coatings have been fabricated using a nanomanufacturable self-assembly process on substrates that are transparent for a given spectrum of interest ranging from UV to LWIR. The nanostructured multilayer structures have been designed, developed and optimized for various optoelectronic applications. The optical properties of optical components and sensor substrates coated with AR structures have been measured and the process parameters fine-tuned to achieve a predicted high level of performance. In this paper, we review our latest work on high quality nanostructure-based AR coatings, including recent efforts on the development of nanostructured AR coatings on IR substrates.

Nanostructured magnesium has fewer detrimental effects on osteoblast function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weng L

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Lucy Weng, Thomas J Webster School of Engineering and Department of Orthopedics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA Abstract: Efforts have been made recently to implement nanoscale surface features on magnesium, a biodegradable metal, to increase bone formation. Compared with normal magnesium, nanostructured magnesium has unique characteristics, including increased grain boundary properties, surface to volume ratio, surface roughness, and surface energy, which may influence the initial adsorption of proteins known to promote the function of osteoblasts (bone-forming cells. Previous studies have shown that one way to increase nanosurface roughness on magnesium is to soak the metal in NaOH. However, it has not been determined if degradation of magnesium is altered by creating nanoscale features on its surface to influence osteoblast density. The aim of the present in vitro study was to determine the influence of degradation of nanostructured magnesium, created by soaking in NaOH, on osteoblast density. Our results showed a less detrimental effect of magnesium degradation on osteoblast density when magnesium was treated with NaOH to create nanoscale surface features. The detrimental degradation products of magnesium are of significant concern when considering use of magnesium as an orthopedic implant material, and this study identified a surface treatment, ie, soaking in NaOH to create nanoscale features for magnesium that can improve its use in numerous orthopedic applications. Keywords: nanostructured magnesium, degradation, detrimental effects, osteoblasts

Is there a shift to 'active nanostructures'?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramanian, Vrishali; Youtie, Jan; Porter, Alan L.; Shapira, Philip

2010-01-01

It has been suggested that an important transition in the long-run trajectory of nanotechnology development is a shift from passive to active nanostructures. Such a shift could present different or increased societal impacts and require new approaches for risk assessment. An active nanostructure 'changes or evolves its state during its operation,' according to the National Science Foundation's (2006) Active Nanostructures and Nanosystems grant solicitation. Active nanostructure examples include nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), nanomachines, self-healing materials, targeted drugs and chemicals, energy storage devices, and sensors. This article considers two questions: (a) Is there a 'shift' to active nanostructures? (b) How can we characterize the prototypical areas into which active nanostructures may emerge? We build upon the NSF definition of active nanostructures to develop a research publication search strategy, with a particular intent to distinguish between passive and active nanotechnologies. We perform bibliometric analyses and describe the main publication trends from 1995 to 2008. We then describe the prototypes of research that emerge based on reading the abstracts and review papers encountered in our search. Preliminary results suggest that there is a sharp rise in active nanostructures publications in 2006, and this rise is maintained in 2007 and through to early 2008. We present a typology that can be used to describe the kind of active nanostructures that may be commercialized and regulated in the future.

Is there a shift to "active nanostructures"?

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, Vrishali; Youtie, Jan; Porter, Alan L.; Shapira, Philip

2010-01-01

It has been suggested that an important transition in the long-run trajectory of nanotechnology development is a shift from passive to active nanostructures. Such a shift could present different or increased societal impacts and require new approaches for risk assessment. An active nanostructure "changes or evolves its state during its operation," according to the National Science Foundation's (2006) Active Nanostructures and Nanosystems grant solicitation. Active nanostructure examples include nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), nanomachines, self-healing materials, targeted drugs and chemicals, energy storage devices, and sensors. This article considers two questions: (a) Is there a "shift" to active nanostructures? (b) How can we characterize the prototypical areas into which active nanostructures may emerge? We build upon the NSF definition of active nanostructures to develop a research publication search strategy, with a particular intent to distinguish between passive and active nanotechnologies. We perform bibliometric analyses and describe the main publication trends from 1995 to 2008. We then describe the prototypes of research that emerge based on reading the abstracts and review papers encountered in our search. Preliminary results suggest that there is a sharp rise in active nanostructures publications in 2006, and this rise is maintained in 2007 and through to early 2008. We present a typology that can be used to describe the kind of active nanostructures that may be commercialized and regulated in the future.

Rapid ILs-polishing Processes Toward Flexible Nanostructured Paper with Dually High Transparency and Haze.

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Yanghao; Chen, Jinbo; Lu, Pengbo; Cheng, Fan; Lin, Meiyan; Su, Lingfeng; Li, Jun; Liu, Detao

2017-07-31

Biodegradable highly nanostructured paper has received great interest in past years due to its excellent optical properties which facilitate its wide applications in green flexible electronics and devices. However, energy and/or time-consuming procedure during the process of fabricating most nanostructured transparent paper are presently the main obstacle to their scalable production. In this work, we demonstrated a novel nanostructured paper with dually high transparency (∼91%) and high haze (∼89%) that was directly fabricated from original paper with rapid ILs-polishing processes. The whole fabricating time only requires 10 min. Compared to the previously reported nanopaper made of the isolated cellulose nanofibers by pure mechanical and/or chemical approaches, this work presented herein is devoted to use green ILs to polish directly the micrometer-sized fibrous paper into the nanostructured paper. This new method brings a rapid fabrication of transparent nanostructured paper while also retaining dual intriguing properties both in optical transmittance and haze. This work is capable of fabricating next-generation flexible and highly transparent and haze paper by a high-speed roll-to-roll manufacturing process with a much lower cost.

Silicon-embedded copper nanostructure network for high energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Tianyue

2016-03-15

Provided herein are nanostructure networks having high energy storage, electrochemically active electrode materials including nanostructure networks having high energy storage, as well as electrodes and batteries including the nanostructure networks having high energy storage. According to various implementations, the nanostructure networks have high energy density as well as long cycle life. In some implementations, the nanostructure networks include a conductive network embedded with electrochemically active material. In some implementations, silicon is used as the electrochemically active material. The conductive network may be a metal network such as a copper nanostructure network. Methods of manufacturing the nanostructure networks and electrodes are provided. In some implementations, metal nanostructures can be synthesized in a solution that contains silicon powder to make a composite network structure that contains both. The metal nanostructure growth can nucleate in solution and on silicon nanostructure surfaces.

Silicon-embedded copper nanostructure network for high energy storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Tianyue

2018-01-23

Provided herein are nanostructure networks having high energy storage, electrochemically active electrode materials including nanostructure networks having high energy storage, as well as electrodes and batteries including the nanostructure networks having high energy storage. According to various implementations, the nanostructure networks have high energy density as well as long cycle life. In some implementations, the nanostructure networks include a conductive network embedded with electrochemically active material. In some implementations, silicon is used as the electrochemically active material. The conductive network may be a metal network such as a copper nanostructure network. Methods of manufacturing the nanostructure networks and electrodes are provided. In some implementations, metal nanostructures can be synthesized in a solution that contains silicon powder to make a composite network structure that contains both. The metal nanostructure growth can nucleate in solution and on silicon nanostructure surfaces.

Nanostructured gold microelectrodes for extracellular recording

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brueggemann, Dorothea; Wolfrum, Bernhard; Maybeck, Vanessa; Offenhaeusser, Andreas [CNI Center of Nanoelectronic Systems for Information Technology and Institute of Bio- and Nanosystems 2, Forschungszentrum Juelich (Germany)

2010-07-01

Electrophysiological activity of electrogenic cells is currently recorded with planar bioelectronic interfaces such as microelectrode arrays (MEAs). In this work, a novel concept of biocompatible nanostructured gold MEAs for extracellular signal recording is presented. MEAs were fabricated using clean room technologies, e.g. photolithography and metallization. Subsequently, they were modified with gold nanopillars of approximately 300 to 400 nm in height and 60 nm width. The nanostructuring process was carried out with a template-assisted approach using nanoporous aluminium oxide. Impedance spectroscopy of the resulting nanostructures showed higher capacitances compared to planar gold. This confirmed the expected increase of the surface area via nanostructuring. We used the nanostructured microelectrodes to record extracellular potentials from heart muscle cells (HL1), which were plated onto the chips. Good coupling between the HL1 cells and the nanostructured electrodes was observed. The resulting signal-to-noise ratio of nanopillar-MEAs was increased by a factor of 2 compared to planar MEAs. In future applications this nanopillar concept can be adopted for distinct interface materials and coupling to cellular and molecular sensing components.

Effects of Irregular Bimetallic Nanostructures on the Optical Properties of Photosystem I from Thermosynechococcus elongatus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imran Ashraf

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The fluorescence of photosystem I (PSI trimers in proximity to bimetallic plasmonic nanostructures have been explored by single-molecule spectroscopy (SMS at cryogenic temperature (1.6 K. PSI serves as a model for biological multichromophore-coupled systems with high potential for biotechnological applications. Plasmonic nanostructures are fabricated by thermal annealing of thin metallic films. The fluorescence of PSI has been intensified due to the coupling with plasmonic nanostructures. Enhancement factors up to 22.9 and 5.1 are observed for individual PSI complexes coupled to Au/Au and Ag/Au samples, respectively. Additionally, a wavelength dependence of fluorescence enhancement is observed, which can be explained by the multichromophoric composition of PSI.

Fullerene nanostructures, monolayers and thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cotier, B.N.

2000-10-01

The interaction of submonolayer, monolayer and multilayer coverages of C 60 with the Ag/Si(111)-(√3x√3)R30 deg. (√3Ag/Si) and Si(111)-7x7 surfaces has been investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and ultra high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM). It is shown that it is possible to preserve the √3Ag/Si surface, normally corrupted by exposure to air, in ambient conditions when immersed beneath a few layers of C 60 molecules. Upon removal of the fullerene layers in the UHV-STM some corruption is observed which is linked to the morphology of the fullerene film (defined by the nature of the interaction of C 60 with √3Ag/Si). This technique opens up the possibility of performing experiments on the clean √3Ag/Si surface outside of UHV conditions. With the discovery of techniques whereby structures may be formed that are composed of only a few atoms/molecules, there is a need to perform electrical measurements in order to probe the fascinating properties of these 'nano-scale' devices. Using AFM, PES and STM evaporated metals and ion implantation have been investigated as materials for use in forming sub-micron scale contacts to nanostructures. It is found that ion implantation is a more promising approach after studying the response to annealing of treated surfaces. Electrical measurements between open/short circuited contacts and through Ag films clearly demonstrate the validity of the method, further confirmed by a PES study which probes the chemical nature of the near surface region of ion-implanted samples. Attempts have been made to form nanostructure templates between sub-micron scale contacts as a possible precursor to forming nanostructures. The bonding state of C 60 molecules on the Si(111)-7x7 surface has been in dispute for many years. To properly understand the system a comprehensive AFM, PES and STM study has been performed. PES results indicate covalent bond formation, with the number of bonds

Atomically flat single-crystalline gold nanostructures for plasmonic nanocircuitry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, J S; Geisler, P; Bruening, C; Kern, J; Prangsma, J C; Wu, X; Feichtner, Thorsten; Ziegler, J; Weinmann, P; Kamp, M; Forchel, A; Hecht, B [Wilhelm-Conrad-Roentgen-Center for Complex Material Systems, University of Wuerzburg (Germany); Biagioni, P [CNISM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano (Italy)

2011-07-01

Deep subwavelength integration of high-definition plasmonic nano-structures is of key importance for the development of future optical nanocircuitry. So far the experimental realization of proposed extended plasmonic networks remains challenging, mainly due to the multi-crystallinity of commonly used thermally evaporated gold layers. Resulting structural imperfections in individual circuit elements drastically reduce the yield of functional integrated nanocircuits. Here we demonstrate the use of very large but thin chemically grown single-crystalline gold flakes. After immobilization on any arbitrary surface, they serve as an ideal basis for focused-ion beam milling. We present high-definition ultra-smooth gold nanostructures with reproducible nanosized features over micrometer lengthscales. By comparing multi- and single-crystalline optical antennas we prove that the latter have superior optical properties which are in good agreement with numerical simulations.

Structure and property evaluation of a vacuum plasma sprayed nanostructured tungsten-hafnium carbide bulk composite

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rea, K. E.; Viswanathan, V.; Kruize, A.; De Hosson, J. Th. M.; O'Dell, S.; McKechnie, T.; Rajagopalan, S.; Vaidyanathan, R.; Seal, S.; O’Dell, S.

2008-01-01

Vacuum plasma spray (VPS) forming of tungsten-based metal matrix nanocomposites (MMCs) has shown to be a cost effective and time saving method for the formation of bulk monolithic nanostructured then no-mechanical components. Spray drying of powder feedstock appears to have a significant effect on

Silicon-germanium and platinum silicide nanostructures for silicon based photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Storozhevykh, M. S.; Dubkov, V. P.; Arapkina, L. V.; Chizh, K. V.; Mironov, S. A.; Chapnin, V. A.; Yuryev, V. A.

2017-05-01

This paper reports a study of two types of silicon based nanostructures prospective for applications in photonics. The first ones are Ge/Si(001) structures forming at room temperature and reconstructing after annealing at 600°C. Germanium, being deposited from a molecular beam at room temperature on the Si(001) surface, forms a thin granular film composed of Ge particles with sizes of a few nanometers. A characteristic feature of these films is that they demonstrate signs of the 2 x 1 structure in their RHEED patterns. After short-term annealing at 600°C under the closed system conditions, the granular films reconstruct to heterostructures consisting of a Ge wetting layer and oval clusters of Ge. A mixed type c(4x2) + p(2x2) reconstruction typical to the low-temperature MBE (Tgr Ge. The other type of the studied nanostructures is based on Pt silicides. This class of materials is one of the friendliest to silicon technology. But as silicide film thickness reaches a few nanometers, low resistivity becomes of primary importance. Pt3Si has the lowest sheet resistance among the Pt silicides. However, the development of a process of thin Pt3Si films formation is a challenging task. This paper describes formation of a thin Pt3Si/Pt2Si structures at room temperature on poly-Si films. Special attention is paid upon formation of poly-Si and amorphous Si films on Si3N4 substrates at low temperatures.

High-energy ion tail formation due to ion acoustic turbulence in the TRIAM-1 tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, Kazuo; Hiraki, Naoji; Nakamura, Yukio; Itoh, Satoshi [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Research Inst. for Applied Mechanics

1982-02-01

The two-component ion energy spectra observed in the TRIAM-1 tokamak are explained as a result of the high-energy ion tail formation due to ion acoustic turbulence driven by a toroidal current pulse for turbulent heating.

Influence of bases on hydrothermal synthesis of titanate nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Sikhwivhilu, Lucky M.; Sinha Ray, Suprakas; Coville, Neil J.

2009-03-01

A hydrothermal treatment of titanium dioxide (TiO2) with various bases (i.e., LiOH, NaOH, KOH, and NH4OH) was used to prepare materials with unique morphologies, relatively small crystallite sizes, and large specific surface areas. The experimental results show that the formation of TiO2 is largely dependent on the type, strength and concentration of a base. The effect of the nature of the base used and the concentration of the base on the formation of nanostructures were investigated using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, as well as surface area measurements. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) were both used to transform the morphology of starting TiO2 material.

Ultrasound assisted synthesis of morphology tunable rGO:ZnO hybrid nanostructures and their optical and UV-A light driven photocatalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thangaraj, Pandiyarajan, E-mail: rtpandiyarajan@gmail.com [Advanced Ceramics and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Concepcion (Chile); Ramalinga Viswanathan, Mangalaraja, E-mail: mangal@udec.cl [Advanced Ceramics and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Concepcion (Chile); Balasubramanian, Karthikeyan [Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620015 (India); Mansilla, Héctor D. [Departament of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Concepcion (Chile); Contreras, David [Departament of Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Center for Biotechnology, University of Concepcion (Chile); Sepulveda-Guzman, Selene [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, FIME, Ave. Pedro de Alba s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P.66455 San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L. (Mexico); Gracia-Pinilla, M.A. [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Físico-Matemáticas, Av. Universidad, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, NL (Mexico); Centro de Investigación en Innovación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, PIIT, Apodaca, Nuevo León 66600 (Mexico)

2017-06-15

Controlling size and shape of hybrid nanostructures is technologically important because of the strong effect of nanostructure dimension and morphology on optoelectronic, biosensors and catalytic properties. Here, we have demonstrated a simple strategy for simultaneous control of morphology, defect engineering and photocatalytic activities of reduced graphene oxide:zinc oxide (rGO:ZnO) hybrid nanostructures which were prepared by using low frequency (42 kHz) ultrasound. By varying the solvents, the morphology of ZnO gradually evolved from spherical shape to a star like nature and the ZnO nanoparticles decorated on reduced graphene oxide were clearly observed in the TEM analysis. Absorption, photoluminescence, Raman and FTIR spectra clearly indicated the formation of rGO:ZnO hybrid nanostructures. Thermal analysis revealed that the hybrid nanostructures exhibited a good thermal stability. The synergistic integration of the unique morphology and size imparts the rGO:ZnO hybrid nanostructures with remarkably enhanced photocatalytic efficiency when compared with bare ZnO. The enhanced photocatalytic behaviour of the rGO:ZnO composite has been discussed in details herein. Simple and facile synthesis route demonstrated the potential for the utilization of rGO:ZnO hybrid nanostructures with unique properties for environmental engineering applications.

Morphological, Structural and Optical Evolution of Ag Nanostructures on c-Plane GaN Through the Variation of Deposition Amount and Temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Sui, Mao; Li, Ming-Yu; Pandey, Puran; Zhang, Quanzhen; Kunwar, Sundar; Lee, Jihoon

2018-03-01

Owing to their tunable properties, Ag nanostructures have been widely adapted in various applications and the morphological control can determine their performance and effectiveness. In this work, we demonstrate the morphological and optical evolution of Ag nanostructures on GaN (0001) by the systematic control of deposition amount at two distinctive annealing temperatures. Based on the Volmer-Weber and coalescence growth models, the nanostructure growth commenced by the thermal solid-state-dewetting evolve in terms of size, density and configuration. At 450 °C, the round-dome shaped Ag nanoparticles (regime I), irregular Ag nano-mounds (regime II) and void-layer structures (regime III) are observed along with the gradually increased deposition amount. As a sharp distinction, the solid state dewetting process occur more radically at 700 °C and also, the Ag sublimation and the effect on the nanostructure formation are observed in a clear regime shift scaled by the deposition amount. Meanwhile, a strong dependency of reflectance spectra evolution on the Ag nanostructure morphology is witnessed for both sets. In particular, Ag dipolar resonance peaks are significantly red-shifted from VIS to NIR regions along with the nanostructure evolution. The reflectance, PL and Raman intensity variation are also observed and discussed based on the evolution of Ag nanostructures.

Mechanical design of DNA nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Castro, Carlos E.; Su, Hai-Jun; Marras, Alexander E.; Zhou, Lifeng; Johnson, Joshua

2015-03-01

Structural DNA nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field that has demonstrated great potential for applications such as single molecule sensing, drug delivery, and templating molecular components. As the applications of DNA nanotechnology expand, a consideration of their mechanical behavior is becoming essential to understand how these structures will respond to physical interactions. This review considers three major avenues of recent progress in this area: (1) measuring and designing mechanical properties of DNA nanostructures, (2) designing complex nanostructures based on imposed mechanical stresses, and (3) designing and controlling structurally dynamic nanostructures. This work has laid the foundation for mechanically active nanomachines that can generate, transmit, and respond to physical cues in molecular systems.Structural DNA nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field that has demonstrated great potential for applications such as single molecule sensing, drug delivery, and templating molecular components. As the applications of DNA nanotechnology expand, a consideration of their mechanical behavior is becoming essential to understand how these structures will respond to physical interactions. This review considers three major avenues of recent progress in this area: (1) measuring and designing mechanical properties of DNA nanostructures, (2) designing complex nanostructures based on imposed mechanical stresses, and (3) designing and controlling structurally dynamic nanostructures. This work has laid the foundation for mechanically active nanomachines that can generate, transmit, and respond to physical cues in molecular systems. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr07153k

Chemical Sensors Based on Metal Oxide Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Gary W.; Xu, Jennifer C.; Evans, Laura J.; VanderWal, Randy L.; Berger, Gordon M.; Kulis, Mike J.; Liu, Chung-Chiun

2006-01-01

This paper is an overview of sensor development based on metal oxide nanostructures. While nanostructures such as nanorods show significan t potential as enabling materials for chemical sensors, a number of s ignificant technical challenges remain. The major issues addressed in this work revolve around the ability to make workable sensors. This paper discusses efforts to address three technical barriers related t o the application of nanostructures into sensor systems: 1) Improving contact of the nanostructured materials with electrodes in a microse nsor structure; 2) Controling nanostructure crystallinity to allow co ntrol of the detection mechanism; and 3) Widening the range of gases that can be detected by using different nanostructured materials. It is concluded that while this work demonstrates useful tools for furt her development, these are just the beginning steps towards realizati on of repeatable, controlled sensor systems using oxide based nanostr uctures.

Crystal-phase intergradation in InAs nanostructures grown by van der Waals heteroepitaxy on graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Ji Eun; Yoo, Jinkyoung; Lee, Donghwa; Hong, Young Joon; Fukui, Takashi

2018-04-01

This study demonstrates the crystal-phase intergradation of InAs nanostructures grown on graphene via van der Waals epitaxy. InAs nanostructures with diverse diameters are yielded on graphene. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) reveals two crystallographic features of (i) wurtzite (WZ)-to-zinc blende (ZB) intergradation along the growth direction of InAs nanostructures and (ii) an increased mean fraction of ZB according to diameter increment. Based on the HR-TEM observations, a crystal-phase intergradation diagram is depicted. We discuss how the formation of a WZ-rich phase during the initial growth stage is an effective way of releasing heterointerfacial stress endowed by the lattice mismatch of InAs/graphene for energy minimization in terms of less in-plane lattice mismatching between WZ-InAs and graphene. The WZ-to-ZB evolution is responsible for the attenuation of the bottom-to-top surface charge interaction as growth proceeds.

Thermally controlled growth of surface nanostructures on ion-modified AIII-BV semiconductor crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Trynkiewicz, Elzbieta; Jany, Benedykt R.; Wrana, Dominik; Krok, Franciszek

2018-01-01

The primary motivation for our systematic study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of sample temperature on the pattern evolution of several AIII-BV semiconductor crystal (001) surfaces (i.e., InSb, InP, InAs, GaSb) in terms of their response to low-energy Ar+ ion irradiation conditions. The surface morphology and the chemical diversity of such ion-modified binary materials has been characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In general, all surface textures following ion irradiation exhibit transitional behavior from small islands, via vertically oriented 3D nanostructures, to smoothened surface when the sample temperature is increased. This result reinforces our conviction that the mass redistribution of adatoms along the surface plays a vital role during the formation and growth process of surface nanostructures. We would like to emphasize that this paper addresses in detail for the first time the topic of the growth kinetics of the nanostructures with regard to thermal surface diffusion, while simultaneously offering some possible approaches to supplementing previous studies and therein gaining a new insight into this complex issue. The experimental results are discussed with reference to models of the pillars growth, abutting on preferential sputtering, the self-sustained etch masking effect and the redeposition process recently proposed to elucidate the observed nanostructuring mechanism.

Quantum theory of plasmons in nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winther, Kirsten Trøstrup

ripples in a pond where the water represents a sea of free electrons. Plasmons on metal surfaces and in nanostructured materials, such as metal nanoparticles and atomically thin two-dimensional materials, have several technological applications due to their ability to confine light on nanoscale......, also van der Waals heterostructures (vdWh), which are stacks of different twodimensional materials, are considered. A new multi-scale approach for calculating the dielectric-function of vdWh, which extends ab initio accuracy to the description of hundreds of atomic layers, is presented. Also, one...

Solid-state Water-mediated Transport Reduction of Nanostructured Iron Oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smirnov, Vladimir M.; Povarov, Vladimir G.; Voronkov, Gennadii P.; Semenov, Valentin G.; Murin, Igor' V.; Gittsovich, Viktor N.; Sinel'nikov, Boris M.

2001-01-01

The Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratio in two-dimensional iron oxide nanosructures (nanolayers with a thickness of 0.3-1.5 nm on silica surface) may be precisely controlled using the transport reduction (TR) technique. The species ≡-O-Fe(OH) 2 and (≡Si-O-) 2 -FeOH forming the surface monolayer are not reduced at 400-600 deg. C because of their covalent bonding to the silica surface, as demonstrated by Moessbauer spectroscopy. Iron oxide microparticles (microstructures) obtained by the impregnation technique, being chemically unbound to silica, are subjected to reduction at T ≥ 500 deg. C with formation of metallic iron in the form of α-Fe. Transport reduction of supported nanostructures (consisting of 1 or 4 monolayers) at T ≥ 600 deg. C produces bulk iron(II) silicate and metallic iron phases. The structural-chemical transformations occurring in transport reduction of supported iron oxide nanolayers are proved to be governed by specific phase processes in the nanostructures themselves

Darkfield microspectroscopy of nanostructures on silver tip-enhanced Raman scattering probes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Itoh, Tamitake, E-mail: tamitake-itou@aist.go.jp [Nano-Bioanalysis Team, Health Technology Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Takamatsu, Kagawa 761-0395 (Japan); Yamamoto, Yuko S., E-mail: yamayulab@gmail.com [Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-8472 (Japan); Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Kagawa University, Takamatsu, Kagawa 761-0396 (Japan); Suzuki, Toshiaki [UNISOKU Co. Ltd., 2-4-3 Kasugano, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0131 (Japan); Kitahama, Yasutaka; Ozaki, Yukihiro [Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1337 (Japan)

2016-01-11

We report an evaluation method employing darkfield microspectroscopy for silver probes used in tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS). By adjusting the darkfield illumination, the diffracted light from the probe outlines disappears and the diffracted light from the surface nanostructures and tips of the probes appears as colorful spots. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that the spectral variations in these spots reflect the shapes of the surface nanostructures. The tip curvatures correlate to the spectral maxima of their spots. Temporal color changes in the spots indicate the deterioration due to the oxidation of the silver surfaces. These results show that the proposed method is useful for in situ evaluation of plasmonic properties of TERS probes.

Corundum nanostructure ITO film fabrication: An approach for physical properties assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solieman, A.; Zayed, M.K.; Alamri, S.N.; Al-Dahoudi, N.; Aegerter, M.A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Transparent conductive nanostructured ITO films. ► Synthesis of ITO nanoparticles with corundum structure phase by the hydrothermal process. ► Deposition of nanoparticulate ITO films by spin coating technique. ► Curing of ITO films using UV irradiation at low temperatures. - Abstract: Corundum (hexagonal) structure indium tin oxide (h-ITO) nanocrystals have been synthesized by subjecting an aqueous solution of In and Sn chlorides (Sn/In 8 wt.%) to a hydrothermal process followed by annealing at 450 °C in forming gas for 1 h. The annealing temperature was selected based on thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) of the dried precipitated powder, which showed a stable weight and phase at temperatures above 420 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the formation of orthorhombic InOOH precipitates that is transformed, after annealing, into h-ITO nanocrystals with 32 nm average crystal size. For nanostructure film deposition, dispersed sols of the prepared nanocrystals were spun coated on glass substrates. The films were densified by UV irradiation, whilst four-probe method was used to measure its sheet resistance. A sheet resistance as low as 10.6 kΩ □ have been reached. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) showed that the films have high surface roughness and nanopores. The transmittance spectra of the nanostructure films were measured in the UV–vis–NIR wavelength range. In addition to its low resistivity, nanostructure h-ITO films showed a wide range of transparency.

Paramagnetic decoration of DNA origami nanostructures by Eu³⁺ coordination.

Science.gov (United States)

Opherden, Lars; Oertel, Jana; Barkleit, Astrid; Fahmy, Karim; Keller, Adrian

2014-07-15

The folding of DNA into arbitrary two- and three-dimensional shapes, called DNA origami, represents a powerful tool for the synthesis of functional nanostructures. Here, we present the first approach toward the paramagnetic functionalization of DNA origami nanostructures by utilizing postassembly coordination with Eu(3+) ions. In contrast to the usual formation of toroidal dsDNA condensates in the presence of trivalent cations, planar as well as rod-like DNA origami maintain their shape and monomeric state even under high loading with the trivalent lanthanide. Europium coordination was demonstrated by the change in Eu(3+) luminescence upon binding to the two DNA origami. Their natural circular dichroism in the Mg(2+)- and Eu(3+)-bound state was found to be very similar to that of genomic DNA, evidencing little influence of the DNA origami superstructure on the local chirality of the stacked base pairs. In contrast, the magnetic circular dichroism of the Mg(2+)-bound DNA origami deviates from that of genomic DNA. Furthermore, the lanthanide affects the magnetic properties of DNA in a superstructure-dependent fashion, indicative of the existence of superstructure-specific geometry of Eu(3+) binding sites in the DNA origami that are not formed in genomic DNA. This simple approach lays the foundation for the generation of magneto-responsive DNA origami nanostructures. Such systems do not require covalent modifications and can be used for the magnetic manipulation of DNA nanostructures or for the paramagnetic alignment of molecules in NMR spectroscopy.

Modeling of space environment impact on nanostructured materials. General principles

Science.gov (United States)

Voronina, Ekaterina; Novikov, Lev

2016-07-01

In accordance with the resolution of ISO TC20/SC14 WG4/WG6 joint meeting, Technical Specification (TS) 'Modeling of space environment impact on nanostructured materials. General principles' which describes computer simulation methods of space environment impact on nanostructured materials is being prepared. Nanomaterials surpass traditional materials for space applications in many aspects due to their unique properties associated with nanoscale size of their constituents. This superiority in mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical properties will evidently inspire a wide range of applications in the next generation spacecraft intended for the long-term (~15-20 years) operation in near-Earth orbits and the automatic and manned interplanetary missions. Currently, ISO activity on developing standards concerning different issues of nanomaterials manufacturing and applications is high enough. Most such standards are related to production and characterization of nanostructures, however there is no ISO documents concerning nanomaterials behavior in different environmental conditions, including the space environment. The given TS deals with the peculiarities of the space environment impact on nanostructured materials (i.e. materials with structured objects which size in at least one dimension lies within 1-100 nm). The basic purpose of the document is the general description of the methodology of applying computer simulation methods which relate to different space and time scale to modeling processes occurring in nanostructured materials under the space environment impact. This document will emphasize the necessity of applying multiscale simulation approach and present the recommendations for the choice of the most appropriate methods (or a group of methods) for computer modeling of various processes that can occur in nanostructured materials under the influence of different space environment components. In addition, TS includes the description of possible

Generation of various carbon nanostructures in water using IR/UV laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mortazavi, Seyedeh Zahra; Parvin, Parviz; Reyhani, Ali; Mirershadi, Soghra; Sadighi-Bonabi, Rasoul

2013-01-01

A wide variety of carbon nanostructures were generated by a Q-switched Nd : YAG laser (1064 nm) while mostly nanodiamonds were created by an ArF excimer laser (193 nm) in deionized water. They were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the IR laser affected the morphology and structure of the nanostructures due to the higher inverse bremsstrahlung absorption rate within the plasma plume with respect to the UV laser. Moreover, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy was carried out so that the plasma created by the IR laser was more energetic than that generated by the UV laser. (paper)

Quantum optics with semiconductor nanostructures

CERN Document Server

Jahnke, Frank

2012-01-01

A guide to the theory, application and potential of semiconductor nanostructures in the exploration of quantum optics. It offers an overview of resonance fluorescence emission.$bAn understanding of the interaction between light and matter on a quantum level is of fundamental interest and has many applications in optical technologies. The quantum nature of the interaction has recently attracted great attention for applications of semiconductor nanostructures in quantum information processing. Quantum optics with semiconductor nanostructures is a key guide to the theory, experimental realisation, and future potential of semiconductor nanostructures in the exploration of quantum optics. Part one provides a comprehensive overview of single quantum dot systems, beginning with a look at resonance fluorescence emission. Quantum optics with single quantum dots in photonic crystal and micro cavities are explored in detail, before part two goes on to review nanolasers with quantum dot emitters. Light-matter interaction...

Nanostructured materials, production and application in construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

KUDRYAVTSEV Pavel Gennadievich

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The paper considers characteristics of water-soluble high module silicate systems: based on polysilicates of alkali element called liquid glasses and the chains of their transformations from the lowest oligomers into the highest ones with further formation colloid solutions – silica sol. The authors describe the potentialities of the use of such systems as binders or modifying additives to produce different nanostructured silicate polymer concretes. There are examples of prospective application of liquid glass and water solutions of high module silicates in industrial areas and construction. Quantum-chemical calculations of the structure and properties of tetraphenylarsonium are given and heterogeneity of its functional groups is shown.

Nanostructured silicon nitride from wheat and rice husks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qadri, S. B.; Rath, B. B.; Gorzkowski, E. P.; Wollmershauser, J. A.; Feng, C. R. [Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375 (United States)

2016-04-07

Nanoparticles, submicron-diameter tubes, and rods of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} were synthesized from the thermal treatment of wheat and rice husks at temperatures at and above 1300 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The whole pattern Rietveld analysis of the observed diffraction data from treatments at 1300 °C showed the formation of only hexagonal α-phase of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} with an R-factor of 1%, whereas samples treated at 1400 °C and above showed both α- and β-phases with an R-factor of 2%. Transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of tubes, rods, and nanoparticles of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}. In a two-step process, where pure SiC was produced first from rice or wheat husk in an argon atmosphere and subsequently treated in a nitrogen atmosphere at 1450 °C, a nanostructured composite material having α- and β-phases of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} combined with cubic phase of SiC was formed. The thermodynamics of the formation of silicon nitride is discussed in terms of the solid state reaction between organic matter (silica content), which is inherently present in the wheat and rice husks, with the nitrogen from the furnace atmosphere. Nanostructures of silicon nitride formed by a single direct reaction or their composites with SiC formed in a two-step process of agricultural byproducts provide an uncomplicated sustainable synthesis route for silicon nitride used in mechanical, biotechnology, and electro-optic nanotechnology applications.

Effect of Systematic Control of Pd Thickness and Annealing Temperature on the Fabrication and Evolution of Palladium Nanostructures on Si (111) via the Solid State Dewetting.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunwar, Sundar; Pandey, Puran; Sui, Mao; Zhang, Quanzhen; Li, Ming-Yu; Lee, Jihoon

2017-12-01

Si-based optoelectronic devices embedded with metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have demonstrated the NP shape, size, spacing, and crystallinity dependent on light absorption and emission induced by the localized surface plasmon resonance. In this work, we demonstrate various sizes and configurations of palladium (Pd) nanostructures on Si (111) by the systematic thermal annealing with the variation of Pd thickness and annealing temperature. The evolution of Pd nanostructures are systematically controlled by the dewetting of thin film by means of the surface diffusion in conjunction with the surface and interface energy minimization and Volmer-Weber growth model. Depending on the control of deposition amount ranging between 0.5 and 100 nm at various annealing temperatures, four distinctive regimes of Pd nanostructures are demonstrated: (i) small pits and grain formation, (ii) nucleation and growth of NPs, (iii) lateral evolution of NPs, and (iv) merged nanostructures. In addition, by the control of annealing between 300 and 800 °C, the Pd nanostructures show the evolution of small pits and grains, isolated NPs, and finally, Pd NP-assisted nanohole formation along with the Si decomposition and Pd-Si inter-diffusion. The Raman analysis showed the discrepancies on phonon modes of Si (111) such that the decreased peak intensity with left shift after the fabrication of Pd nanostructures. Furthermore, the UV-VIS-NIR reflectance spectra revealed the existence of surface morphology dependent on absorption, scattering, and reflectance properties.

Nanostructured energy devices equilibrium concepts and kinetics

CERN Document Server

Bisquert, Juan

2014-01-01

Due to the pressing needs of society, low cost materials for energy devices have experienced an outstanding development in recent times. In this highly multidisciplinary area, chemistry, material science, physics, and electrochemistry meet to develop new materials and devices that perform required energy conversion and storage processes with high efficiency, adequate capabilities for required applications, and low production cost. Nanostructured Energy Devices: Equilibrium Concepts and Kinetics introduces the main physicochemical principles that govern the operation of energy devices. It inclu

Voids, nanochannels and formation of nanotubes with mobile Sn fillings in Sn doped ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortega, Y; Dieker, Ch; Jaeger, W; Piqueras, J; Fernandez, P

2010-01-01

ZnO nanorods containing different hollow structures have been grown by a thermal evaporation-deposition method with a mixture of ZnS and SnO 2 powders as precursor. Transmission electron microscopy shows rods with rows of voids as well as rods with empty channels along the growth axis. The presence of Sn nanoprecipitates associated with the empty regions indicates, in addition, that these are generated by diffusion processes during growth, probably due to an inhomogeneous distribution of Sn. The mechanism of forming voids and precipitates appears to be based on diffusion processes similar to the Kirkendall effect, which can lead to void formation at interfaces of bulk materials or in core-shell nanostructures. In some cases the nanorods are ZnO tubes partially filled with Sn that has been found to melt and expand by heating the nanotubes under the microscope electron beam. Such metal-semiconductor nanostructures have potential applications as thermal nanosensors or as electrical nanocomponents.

MicroRNA-triggered, cascaded and catalytic self-assembly of functional ``DNAzyme ferris wheel'' nanostructures for highly sensitive colorimetric detection of cancer cells

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Wenjiao; Liang, Wenbin; Li, Xin; Chai, Yaqin; Yuan, Ruo; Xiang, Yun

2015-05-01

The construction of DNA nanostructures with various sizes and shapes has significantly advanced during the past three decades, yet the application of these DNA nanostructures for solving real problems is still in the early stage. On the basis of microRNA-triggered, catalytic self-assembly formation of the functional ``DNAzyme ferris wheel'' nanostructures, we show here a new signal amplification platform for highly sensitive, label-free and non-enzyme colorimetric detection of a small number of human prostate cancer cells. The microRNA (miR-141), which is catalytically recycled and reused, triggers isothermal self-assembly of a pre-designed, G-quadruplex sequence containing hairpin DNAs into ``DNAzyme ferris wheel''-like nanostructures (in association with hemin) with horseradish peroxidase mimicking activity. These DNAzyme nanostructures catalyze an intensified color transition of the probe solution for highly sensitive detection of miR-141 down to 0.5 pM with the naked eye, and the monitoring of as low as 283 human prostate cancer cells can also, theoretically, be achieved in a colorimetric approach. The work demonstrated here thus offers new opportunities for the construction of functional DNA nanostructures and for the application of these DNA nanostructures as an effective signal amplification means in the sensitive detection of nucleic acid biomarkers.

Nanostructure Diffraction Gratings for Integrated Spectroscopy and Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Junpeng (Inventor)

2016-01-01

The present disclosure pertains to metal or dielectric nanostructures of the subwavelength scale within the grating lines of optical diffraction gratings. The nanostructures have surface plasmon resonances or non-plasmon optical resonances. A linear photodetector array is used to capture the resonance spectra from one of the diffraction orders. The combined nanostructure super-grating and photodetector array eliminates the use of external optical spectrometers for measuring surface plasmon or optical resonance frequency shift caused by the presence of chemical and biological agents. The nanostructure super-gratings can be used for building integrated surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrometers. The nanostructures within the diffraction grating lines enhance Raman scattering signal light while the diffraction grating pattern of the nanostructures diffracts Raman scattering light to different directions of propagation according to their wavelengths. Therefore, the nanostructure super-gratings allows for the use of a photodetector array to capture the surface enhanced Raman scattering spectra.

Surface modification of microfibrous materials with nanostructured carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krasnikova, Irina V., E-mail: tokareva@catalysis.ru [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin av., 30, Tomsk 634050 (Russian Federation); Mishakov, Ilya V.; Vedyagin, Aleksey A. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin av., 30, Tomsk 634050 (Russian Federation); Bauman, Yury I. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, pr. Ac. Lavrentieva, 5, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Korneev, Denis V. [State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR, Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region 630559 (Russian Federation)

2017-01-15

The surface of fiberglass cloth, carbon and basalt microfibers was modified with carbon nanostructured coating via catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of 1,2-dichloroethane. Incipient wetness impregnation and solution combustion synthesis (SCS) methods were used to deposit nickel catalyst on the surface of microfibrous support. Prepared NiO/support samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and temperature-programmed reduction. The samples of resulted hybrid materials were studied by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopies as well as by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. The nature of the support was found to have considerable effect on the CCVD process peculiarities. High yield of nanostructured carbon with largest average diameter of nanofibers within the studied series was observed when carbon microfibers were used as a support. This sample characterized with moderate surface area (about 80 m{sup 2}/g after 2 h of CCVD) shows the best anchorage effect. Among the mineral supports, fiberglass tissue was found to provide highest carbon yield (up to 3.07 g/g{sub FG}) and surface area (up to 344 m{sup 2}/g) due to applicability of SCS method for Ni deposition. - Highlights: • The microfibers of different nature were coated with nanostructured carbon layer. • Features of CNF growth and characteristics of hybrid materials were studied. • Appropriate anchorage of CNF layer on microfiber’s surface was demonstrated.

Effects of surfactants on morphology in synthesis of α-Mn2O3 nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramarajan, D.; Sivagurunathan, P.

2011-01-01

Cubic and chain-like structure of α-Mn 2 O 3 with a high surface area was prepared by air oxidation of manganese chloride through sol process by adding hexamine and mercaptosuccinic acid as wetting agent, respectively. The as-synthesized products were characterized with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The possible formation mechanism of α-Mn 2 O 3 cubic and chain-like nanostructures has been proposed and discussed. -- Graphical abstract: Cubic and chain-like nanostructure of α-Mn 2 O 3 has been synthesized by air oxidation of manganese chloride as precursor, hexamine, and mercaptosuccinic acid as wetting agent, respectively. Display Omitted Research highlights: → Cubic nanostructure of α-Mn 2 O 3 is obtained using hexamine as surfactant. → Chain-like structure of α-Mn 2 O 3 is obtained using mercaptosuccinic acid as surfactant. → The linking nature of mercaptosuccinic acid is proved. → Mercaptosuccinic acid accelerates the growth of material.

Wetting characteristics of 3-dimensional nanostructured fractal surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davis, Ethan, E-mail: ethan.davis4@huskers.unl.edu [Nano & Microsystems Research Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, W342 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0526 (United States); Liu, Ying; Jiang, Lijia; Lu, Yongfeng [Laser Assisted Nano Engineering Lab, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 209N Scott Engineering Center, Lincoln, NE 68588-0511 (United States); Ndao, Sidy, E-mail: sndao2@unl.edu [Nano & Microsystems Research Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, W342 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0526 (United States)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • Hierarchically structured surfaces were fabricated on the micro/nano-scale. • These structures reduced the contact angle of the inherently hydrophilic material. • Similar surfaces have applications in two-phase heat transfer and microfluidics. - Abstract: This article reports the fabrication and wetting characteristics of 3-dimensional nanostructured fractal surfaces (3DNFS). Three distinct 3DNFS surfaces, namely cubic, Romanesco broccoli, and sphereflake were fabricated using two-photon direct laser writing. Contact angle measurements were performed on the multiscale fractal surfaces to characterize their wetting properties. Average contact angles ranged from 66.8° for the smooth control surface to 0° for one of the fractal surfaces. The change in wetting behavior was attributed to modification of the interfacial surface properties due to the inclusion of 3-dimensional hierarchical fractal nanostructures. However, this behavior does not exactly obey existing surface wetting models in the literature. Potential applications for these types of surfaces in physical and biological sciences are also discussed.

Wetting characteristics of 3-dimensional nanostructured fractal surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, Ethan; Liu, Ying; Jiang, Lijia; Lu, Yongfeng; Ndao, Sidy

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Hierarchically structured surfaces were fabricated on the micro/nano-scale. • These structures reduced the contact angle of the inherently hydrophilic material. • Similar surfaces have applications in two-phase heat transfer and microfluidics. - Abstract: This article reports the fabrication and wetting characteristics of 3-dimensional nanostructured fractal surfaces (3DNFS). Three distinct 3DNFS surfaces, namely cubic, Romanesco broccoli, and sphereflake were fabricated using two-photon direct laser writing. Contact angle measurements were performed on the multiscale fractal surfaces to characterize their wetting properties. Average contact angles ranged from 66.8° for the smooth control surface to 0° for one of the fractal surfaces. The change in wetting behavior was attributed to modification of the interfacial surface properties due to the inclusion of 3-dimensional hierarchical fractal nanostructures. However, this behavior does not exactly obey existing surface wetting models in the literature. Potential applications for these types of surfaces in physical and biological sciences are also discussed.

Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy nanostructural study of shed microparticles.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liron Issman

Full Text Available Microparticles (MPs are sub-micron membrane vesicles (100-1000 nm shed from normal and pathologic cells due to stimulation or apoptosis. MPs can be found in the peripheral blood circulation of healthy individuals, whereas elevated concentrations are found in pregnancy and in a variety of diseases. Also, MPs participate in physiological processes, e.g., coagulation, inflammation, and angiogenesis. Since their clinical properties are important, we have developed a new methodology based on nano-imaging that provides significant new data on MPs nanostructure, their composition and function. We are among the first to characterize by direct-imaging cryogenic transmitting electron microscopy (cryo-TEM the near-to-native nanostructure of MP systems isolated from different cell types and stimulation procedures. We found that there are no major differences between the MP systems we have studied, as most particles were spherical, with diameters from 200 to 400 nm. However, each MP population is very heterogeneous, showing diverse morphologies. We investigated by cryo-TEM the effects of standard techniques used to isolate and store MPs, and found that either high-g centrifugation of MPs for isolation purposes, or slow freezing to -80 °C for storage introduce morphological artifacts, which can influence MP nanostructure, and thus affect the efficiency of these particles as future diagnostic tools.