Search results for "Surfaces and interfaces"
showing 10 items of 939 documents
Laser-Ablation-Induced Synthesis of SiO2-Capped Noble Metal Nanoparticles in a Single Step
2010
Here we describe a simple, powerful technique based on the laser ablation of a target immersed in a water solution of a metal salt. With this method, nanoparticles of different metals and alloys can be processed very quickly. Both the target and the salt solution can be chosen to produce metal nanoparticles of different sizes, surface-oxidized nanoparticles (silica-silver, for example), or even more complex structures to be defined by the researcher on one or more steps because the technique combines the advantages of both physical and chemical methods. We have applied this technique to the fabrication of inert silica-metal (silver, gold, and silver-gold) nanoparticles with a strong surface…
Switchable Bactericidal Effects from Novel Silica-Coated Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Light Irradiation
2011
Here we report on the triggering of antibacterial activity by a new type of silver nanoparticle coated with porous silica, Ag@silica, irradiated at their surface plasmon resonant frequency. The nanoparticles are able to bind readily to the surface of bacterial cells, although this does not affect bacterial growth since the silica shell largely attenuates the intrinsic toxicity of silver. However, upon simultaneous exposure to light corresponding to the absorption band of the nanoparticles, bacterial death is enhanced selectively on the irradiated zone. Because of the low power density used for the treatments, we discard thermal effects as the cause of cell killing. Instead, we propose that …
SAXS Study on Myoglobin Embedded in Amorphous Saccharide Matrices
2011
We report on Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) measurements performed on samples of carboxy-myoglobin and met-myoglobin embedded in low hydrated matrices of four different saccharides (trehalose, sucrose, maltose and lactose). Results confirm the already reported occurrence of inhomogeneities, which are not peculiar of trehalose samples, but appear also in maltose and lactose, and in some cases also sucrose, being dependent on the sample hydration and on the presence of sodium dithionite. This behaviour confirms our previous interpretation about the nature of the inhomogeneities, and prompt it as a possible general behaviour for highly concentrated sugar matrices.
Magnetic Langmuir-Blodgett films of ferritin with different iron contents.
2006
Magnetic Langmuir-Blodgett films of four ferritin derivatives with different iron contents containing 4220, 3062, 2200, and 1200 iron atoms, respectively, have been prepared by using the adsorption properties of a 6/1 mixed monolayer of methyl stearate (SME) and dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODA). The molecular organization of the mixed SME/DODA monolayer is strongly affected by the presence of the water-soluble protein in the subphase as shown by pi-A isotherms, BAM images, and imaging ellipsometry at the water-air interface. BAM images reveal the heterogeneity of this mixed monolayer at the air-water interface. We propose that the ferritin is located under the mixed matrix in thos…
Design of a real-time spectroscopic rotating compensator ellipsometer without systematic errors
2014
6th International Conference on Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (ICSE), Kyoto, JAPAN, MAY 26-31, 2013; International audience; We describe a spectroscopic ellipsometer in the visible domain (400-800 nm) based on a rotating compensator technology using two detectors. The classical analyzer is replaced by a fixed Rochon birefringent beamsplitter which splits the incidence light wave into two perpendicularly polarized waves, one oriented at +45 degrees and the other one at-45 degrees according to the plane of incidence. Both emergent optical signals are analyzed by two identical CCD detectors which are synchronized by an optical encoder fixed on the shaft of the step-by-step motor of the compensato…
Spin relaxation in Cu and Al spin conduits
2014
We study the spin relaxation in Al and Cu spin conduits embedded in non-local spin valve nanostructures. Measuring the key spin transport properties, we determine the spin and charge diffusion constants as well as the spin flip time. By varying the temperature, we find that the maximum of the non-local spin resistance change occurs at finite temperatures with a clear difference between Al and Cu. In particular, we find that the maximum of the non-local spin signal in Al is less pronounced and occurs at lower temperatures compared to Cu suggesting that the self-passivating Al surface plays a role. Having fabricated devices with both materials in identical processes, we can attribute the diff…
Atomic, electronic and thermodynamic properties of cubic and orthorhombic LaMnO3 surfaces
2009
We studied in detail the atomic and electronic structure of the LaMnO3 surfaces, in both cubic and orthorhombic phases, combining GGA-plane wave approach, as implemented into the VASP-4.6.19 computer code, with a slab model. These studies are complemented by a thermodynamic analysis of the surface stability at different gas pressures and temperatures. The obtained results are compared with similar studies for other ABO3-perovskites. 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. The ABO3-type perovskite manganites and cobaltates (A = La, Sr, Ca; B = Mn, Co) are important functional materials with numerous high-tech applications [1]. Some of them require understanding and control surface properties…
Fabrication of Chemically Tunable, Hierarchically Branched Polymeric Nanostructures by Multi-branched Anodic Aluminum Oxide Templates
2016
In this paper, a template-assisted replication method is demonstrated for the fabrication of hierarchically branched polymeric nanostructures composed of post-modifiable poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate). Anodic aluminum oxide templates with various shapes of hierarchically branched pores are fabricated by an asymmetric two-step anodization process. The hierarchical polymeric nanostructures are obtained by infiltration of pentafluorophenyl acrylate with a cross-linker and photoinitiator, followed by polymerization and selective removal of the template. Furthermore, the nanostructures containing reactive pentafluorophenyl ester are modified with spiropyran amine via post-polymerization modifi…
Effect of Cholesterol on Electrostatics in Lipid−Protein Films of a Pulmonary Surfactant
2010
We report the changes in the electrical properties of the lipid-protein film of pulmonary surfactant produced by excess cholesterol. Pulmonary surfactant (PS) is a complex lipid-protein mixture that forms a molecular film at the interface of the lung's epithelia. The defined molecular arrangement of the lipids and proteins of the surfactant film gives rise to the locally highly variable electrical surface potential of the interface, which becomes considerably altered in the presence of cholesterol. With frequency modulation Kelvin probe force microscopy (FM-KPFM) and force measurements, complemented by theoretical analysis, we showed that excess cholesterol significantly changes the electri…
A static SIMS study of superficial reactions (O2, (CN)2) on silver
1998
Abstract The exposure of silver surfaces to oxygen under about 10 −6 mbar at room temperature was studied mainly by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) used in a static mode. No reactivity of oxygen appeared under these exposure conditions in accordance with previous works. No modifications in the AES spectra, but an unexpected and huge increase in the intensities of secondary ions such as CN − , CNO − , Ag(CN) − 2 , Ag 2 CN + were observed. Different experiments were performed in order to specify the origin of this unexpected reaction in presence of pure oxygen. Moreover, exposures to pure (CN) 2 and to a mixture of cyanogen and oxygen were performed in order to compare the reactivity o…