Search results for "Microscopy"

Polar nanodomains and local ferroelectric phenomena in relaxor lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramics

2005

Transparent Pb0.9125La0.0975(Zr0.65Ti0.35)0.976O3 ceramics (conventionally abbreviated as PLZT 9.75/65/35) is a typical relaxor characterized by the absence of the ferroelectric order at the macroscopic scale. In this letter, we report on the observation of complex polar structures on the surface of this material via piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The irregular polarization patterns are associated with the formation of a glassy state, where random electric fields destroy the long-range ferroelectric order. The measure of the disorder, the correlation length of ∼50nm, was directly deduced from the PFM images. Local poling of relaxor ceramics resulted in the formation of a stable micro…

Nanosized shape-changing colloids from liquid crystalline elastomers.

2010

A method to prepare shape-changing nanospheres from liquid crystalline elastomers is reported. The nanosized colloids are prepared by a miniemulsion process. During this process, colloids are prepared from a liquid crystalline (LC) main-chain polyester and subsequently crosslinked into a nanometer-sized LC elastomer. The ability of these LC elastomers to change their shape at the phase transition temperature from the smectic A to the isotropic phase was detected by temperature-dependent transmission electron microscopy. The phase transition-induced shape change leads to strongly shape anisotropic nanosized elastomer particles.

Thermal Expansion of Microstructured DMPC Bilayers Quantified by Temperature-Controlled Atomic Force Microscopy

2006

Optimization of Innovative Three-Dimensionally-Structured Hybrid Vesicles to Improve the Cutaneous Delivery of Clotrimazole for the Treatment of Topi…

2019

New three-dimensionally-structured hybrid phospholipid vesicles, able to load clotrimazole in a high amount (10 mg/mL), were obtained for the first time in this work by significantly reducing the amount of water (&le

Control on the morphology and photoelectrocatalytic properties of ZnO nanostructures by simple anodization varying electrolyte composition

2021

Abstract Zinc oxide nanostructured electrodes were successfully synthesized by a simple method of anodization in different aqueous bicarbonate electrolytes. The influence of the anodization electrolyte composition (by adding ethanol or glycerol) on the morphology and the photoelectrocatalytic properties of the zinc oxide electrodes was studied, as well as the combined effect of anodizing under controlled hydrodynamic conditions. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) images of the ZnO electrodes showed that the addition of ethanol or glycerol to the anodization electrolyte resulted in changes in size and morphology of the nanostructures. Thus, ZnO nanowires, nanotubes, nanospo…

Structural Analysis and Photocurrent Spectroscopy of CCCs on 99.99% Aluminum

2003

A characterization of chromate conversion coatings (CCCs) formed in the presence and in the absence of accelerator (ferroferricyanide redox couple) has been performed by various techniques (transmission electron microscopy, TEM, glow discharge optical emission spectrometry, GDOES, X-ray absorption near-end structure, XANES, and photon correlation spectroscopy). The results of a detailed investigation on morphological, compositional, and solid-state properties of freshly converted aluminum samples at different immersion times (30 s-90 min) are reported. The TEM and GDOES data suggest the presence of iron-cyanide species only in the external layer of CCC of nearly constant thickness. The XANE…

Growth and Characterization of Anodic Films on Al-Nb Alloys

2006

Abstract The anodizing behaviours of sputtering-deposited aluminium, niobium and Al-Nb alloys, containing 0.4, 7.5, 21, 40 and 55 at.% niobium, have been examined in 0.1 M ammonium pentaborate electrolyte with interest in the morphology, structure and electronic properties of the anodic oxides. Transmission electron microscopy revealed amorphous oxides, containing units of Nb2O5 and Al2O3, with formation ratios intermediate between those of anodic alumina and anodic niobia. Photocurrent spectroscopy provided increased understanding of the electronic properties of the anodic films, suggesting the formation of “mixed oxides” with insulating behaviours. The estimated band gap values are correl…

Photocurrent spectroscopy study of passive films on hafnium and hafnium–tungsten sputtered alloys

2003

Abstract Anodic and air-formed films on sputtered Hf and W–Hf alloys of different composition have been investigated by Rutherford back scattering, photocurrent spectroscopy (PCS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. In alkaline solutions the PCS data suggest the formation on Hf metal of a duplex layer with anodic hafnia covered by an external layer of composition close to HfO(OH) 2 . This last compound is also present on Hf air-formed films. In acidic solutions the initial oxy-hydroxide film disappears at high anodising potentials ( V f >10 V). In the case of W–Hf alloys films of different composition and semiconducting behaviour are formed by air exposure or by anodising…

Low-Temperature Atomic Layer Deposition of Crystalline and Photoactive Ultrathin Hematite Films for Solar Water Splitting

2015

We developed a low-temperature atomic layer deposition route to deposit phase pure and crystalline hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) films at 230 degrees C without the need for postannealing. Homogenous and conformal deposition with good aspect ratio coverage was demonstrated on a nanostructured substrate and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. These as-deposited alpha-Fe2O3 films were investigated as photoanodes for photoelectrochemical water oxidation and found to be highly photoactive. Combined with a TiO2 underlayer and a low-cost Ni(OH)(2) catalyst, hematite films of less than 10 nm in thickness reached photocurrent densities of 0.3 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 V vs RHE and a photocurrent onset po…

Automated photoelasticity in white light: Influence of quarter-wave plates

1995

This paper deals with the influence of optical retarders on the isochromatic fringes obtained by automated white light photoelasticity using methods such as those based on spectral content analysis (SCA) and on primary colour (red, green and blue) analysis. In the following the light intensity equations of dark- and light-field polariscopes with both crossed and parallel optical retarders are reviewed. In particular, it is shown that the retardance error of the quarter-wave plates produces an attenuation of the maximum intensity in dark field and an increase of minimum intensity in light field. Experimental evidence of the influence of optical retarders is also shown.