Search results for " microscopy"

Morphology and composition of particulate matter in the air of urban area

2019

Zanieczyszczenie powietrza przez pyl zawieszony (PM) staje się w ostatnich latach coraz bardziej znaczące. Stwierdzono, że unoszące się w powietrzu cząsteczki niosą różne niekorzystne skutki dla środowiska i zdrowia ludzkiego. Aby poszerzyć wiedzę na temat takich zanieczyszczeń, pożądana jest szczegółowa charakterystyka rozmiarów, morfologii i składu chemicznego poszczególnych cząstek zawieszonych w po- wietrzu. W prezentowanych badaniach mikrocząsteczki powietrza zostały pobrane z filtrów taśmowych z włókna szklanego, które są powszechnie stosowane w analizatorach cząstek stałych MP101M. Próbki zostały zebrane w Kutnej Horze (Republika Czeska), były badane metodami skaningowej mikroskopii …

Surfactant-Mediated Morphology and Photocatalytic Activity of α‑Ag2WO4 Material

2018

In the present work, the morphology (hexagonal rod-like vs cuboid-like) of an α-Ag2WO4 solid-state material is manipulated by a simple controlled-precipitation method, with and without the presence of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), respectively, over short reaction times. Characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction analysis, Rietveld refinement analysis, Fourier-transform (FT) infrared spectroscopy, FT Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, selected area electron diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and photoluminescence emission…

Effect of Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Surface Chemistry and Morphology on Titanium Hexafluoride Pretreatment

2017

Titanium hexafluoride pretreatments are known to improve paint adhesion and function as a barrier between the coating and the hot dip galvanized (HDG) steel surface. Interactions at the zinc/pretreatment interface are of utmost importance for the formation of pretreatment layers and the corrosion resistance of color coated hot dip galvanized steels. Removal rate of inert aluminum oxide from HDG steel samples by chemical dissolution was studied. XPS measurements showed that the surface Al2O3 layer thickness decreased rapidly already at mild alkaline cleaning, while complete removal of Al required severe etching. Low reactivity of an Al2O3-rich surface was confirmed by impaired formation of a…

Restoration of a XVII Century’s predella reliquary: From Physico-Chemical Characterization to the Conservation Process

2021

We report on the restoration of a XVII century’s predella reliquary, which is a part of a larger setup that includes a wall reliquary and a wooden crucified Christ, both belonging to the church of “Madre Maria SS. Assunta”, in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily, Italy. The historical/artistic and paleographic research was flanked successfully by the scientific objective characterization of the materials. The scientific approach was relevant in the definition of the steps for the restoration of the artefact. The optical microscopy was used for the identification of the wood species. Electron microscopy and elemental mapping by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) was successful in the identification of the l…

Extraordinary Performance of Carbon‐Coated Anatase TiO 2 as Sodium‐Ion Anode

2015

The synthesis of in situ polymer‐functionalized anatase TiO2 particles using an anchoring block copolymer with hydroxamate as coordinating species is reported, which yields nanoparticles (≈11 nm) in multigram scale. Thermal annealing converts the polymer brushes into a uniform and homogeneous carbon coating as proven by high resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The strong impact of particle size as well as carbon coating on the electrochemical performance of anatase TiO2 is demonstrated. Downsizing the particles leads to higher reversible uptake/release of sodium cations per formula unit TiO2 (e.g., 0.72 eq. Na+ (11 nm) vs only 0.56 eq. Na+ (40 nm)) while the …

Local mechanical properties by Atomic Force Microscopy nanoindentations

2008

The analysis of mechanical properties on a nanometer scale is a useful tool for combining information concerning texture organization obtained by microscopy with the properties of individual components- Moreover, this technique promotes the understanding of the hierarchical arrangement in complex natural materials as well in the case of simpler morphologies arising from industrial processes. Atomic Force Microscopy, AFM, can bridge morphological information, obtained with outstanding resolution, to local mechanical properties. When performing an AFM nanoindentation, the rough force curve, i.e., the plot of the voltage output from the photodiode vs. the voltage applied to the piezo-scanner, …

Structure and dielectric breakdown strength of nano calcium carbonate/polypropylene composites

2013

Nanodielectrics, a 21st-century phenomena, is envisioned to be the answer for material challenges in progressive high-voltage technology. It is well known that the proper dispersion of nanoparticles plays a key role in improving the dielectric properties of a material, but to understand where changes in the properties of a material originate, it is also essential to reveal the multiscale structure of the material. In this study, the dielectric permittivity, breakdown strength, and structure of nano calcium carbonate (nano-CaCO3)/polypropylene composites with 1.8-8.1 wt % doping were characterized systematically. The combined results from transmission electron microscopy, Raman microscopy, a…

Spectroscopic studies of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes

2010

The unique nature of optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), together with their promising potential applications, have created enormous interest towards the photophysics of SWCNT. Many aspects of carbon nanotubes originate from the electronic structure of carbon honeycomb lattice and one-dimensionality. SWCNTs exist in various chiral structures and diameters, which the optical and electrical properties are dependent on. It has been discovered that SWCNT excited states are excitonic with strong Coulomb interaction between the electron and the hole. However, many features of excitons are not yet well defined, such as absorption cross-sections, fluorescence quantum yield…

Synthesis, Characterization of FexZr1-xO2Solid Solution Nanoparticles and Bulk Powders Prepared Using a Sol-Gel Technique

2015

One-pot synthesis and characterization of subnanometre-size benzotriazolate protected copper clusters

2012

A simple one-pot method for the preparation of subnanometre-size benzotriazolate (BTA) protected copper clusters, Cu(n)BTA(m), is reported. The clusters were analyzed by optical and infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy together with computational methods. We suggest a structural motif where the copper core of the Cu(n)BTA(m) clusters is protected by BTA-Cu(i)-BTA units.