Search results for "Surfaces"
showing 10 items of 2837 documents
Self-Assembly of block copolymers into internally ordered microparticles
2020
Abstract Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly is one of the most versatile concepts for the bottom-up design of functional nanostructures in materials science, nanomedicine and nanotechnology. While BCPs have been extensively studied regarding their microphase separation in bulk and the self-assembly in solution, only recently BCPs were investigated for their ability to form internally ordered microparticles. In this review, we discuss two emerging concepts: (i) the microphase separation of BCPs in the spherical confinement of evaporating emulsion droplets and (ii) the self-assembly of highly asymmetric BCPs under concentrated conditions. While the first concept yields solid and compact mult…
Electrochemically shape-controlled transformation of magnetron sputtered platinum films into platinum nanostructures enclosed by high-index facets
2017
Abstract A new method based on transformation of magnetron sputtered platinum thin films into platinum nanostructures enclosed by high-index facets, using electrochemical potential cycling in a twin working electrode system is reported. The controllable formation of various Pt nanostructures, described in this paper, indicates that this method can be used to control a selective growth of high purity Pt nanostructures with specific shapes (facets or edges). The method opens up new possibilities for electrochemical preparation of nanostructured Pt catalysts at high yield.
Optical biosensors based on ZnO nanostructures: advantages and perspectives. A review
2016
This review article highlights the application of beneficial physico-chemical properties of ZnO nanostructures for the detection of wide range of biological compounds. As the medical diagnostics require accurate, fast and inexpensive biosensors, the advantages inherent optical methods of detection are considered. The crucial points of the immobilization process, responsible for biosensor performance (biomolecule adsorption, surface properties, surface defects role, surface functionalization etc.) along with the interaction mechanism between biomolecules and ZnO are disclosed. The latest achievements in surface plasmon resonance (SPR), surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and photolumi…
Discerning the Origins of the Amplitude Fluctuations in Dynamic Raman Nanospectroscopy
2012
International audience; We introduce a novel experimental and analytical method for discerning rare surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) events observable at the nanoscale. We show that the kinetics of the Raman activity recorded on an isolated nanostructure is punctuated by intense and rare events of large amplitude and spectral variations. The fluctuations of thousands of SERS spectra were analyzed statistically in terms of power density functions, and the occurrence of the rare events was quantified by a wavenumber statistics. Our analysis enables one to extract valuable and unique spectroscopic signature of Raman variations usually hidden in time-average or space-average measurement…
Water Adsorption on Clean and Defective Anatase TiO2 (001) Nanotube Surfaces: A Surface Science Approach
2018
We use ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to study the adsorption of thin water films with 1 and 2 ML coverage on anatase TiO2 (001) nanotubes. The nanotubes are modeled as 2D slabs, which consist of partially constrained and partially relaxed structural motifs from nanotubes. The effect of anion doping on the adsorption is investigated by substituting O atoms with N and S impurities on the nanotube slab surface. Due to strain-induced curvature effects, water adsorbs molecularly on defect-free surfaces via weak bonds on Ti sites and H bonds to surface oxygens. While the introduction of an S atom weakens the interaction of the surface with water, which adsorbs molecularly, the presence…
Molecular dynamics simulations of capillary rise experiments in nanotubes coated with polymer brushes.
2007
The capillary filling of a nanotube coated with a polymer brush is studied by molecular dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained model, assuming various conditions for the fluid-wall and fluid-brush interactions. Whereas the fluid is modeled by simple point particles interacting with Lennard-Jones forces, the (end-grafted, fully flexible) polymers that form the brush coating are described by a standard bead-spring model. Our experiments reveal that capillary filling is observed even for walls that would not be wetted by the fluid, provided the polymer brush coating itself wets. Generally, it is found that the capillary rise always proceeds through a t1/2 law with time t while the underlying…
Adsorption Studies of Molecules on the Halloysite Surfaces: A Computational and Experimental Investigation
2017
We report the results of joint computational and experimental investigations on the adsorption capability of halloysite toward a set of common molecules (water, alcohols, halides, and carboxylic acids). The halloysite system has been modelized by means of a cluster approach choosing a portion of a spiral nanotube; it has a slight curvature, with a convex aluminic layer. The adsorption geometries are described in terms of hydrogen bond network structures; calculated interaction energies invariably indicate that the inner aluminic surface is the place for preferential adsorption of polar molecules. The presence of substitutional defects on the outer or inner surface of the halloysite model ca…
Steric stabilization of modified nanoclays triggered by temperature.
2015
Halloysite clay nanotubes were modified through the adsorption of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-amine terminated (PNIPA-NH2) onto the external surface by exploiting electrostatic interactions at pH=6. In spite the amount of attached polymer is rather low (1 wt%), the properties of the nanotubes are deeply modified. The apparent specific volume and isentropic compressibilities of the hybrid nanomaterial dispersed in water evidenced the transferring of the termosensitive property from the polymer to halloysite. The hydrodynamic radius as well as the ζ-potential of the nanohybrid are consistent with the attachment of a positively charged polymer onto the negative surface of the nanotube. The col…
Electronic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes inside cyclic supermolecules
2006
Possible ways for manipulating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with cyclic supermolecules are studied using density functional theory. Electronic structure calculations with structure optimizations have been performed for the (4,4) and (8,0) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) complexed with crown ethers as well as for the (4,0) SWNT with beta-cyclodextrin. A slight polarization of charge in both the nanotube and the supermolecule is observed upon rotaxane complexation, but the interaction is mainly repulsive, and the systems stay 2.8-3.5 A apart. The supermolecule does not affect the electronic band structure of the nanotube significantly within such a configuration. The situation differs notic…
First principles modeling of 3d-metal doped three-layer fluorite-structured TiO2 (4,4) nanotube to be used for photocatalytic hydrogen production
2017
This study has been supported by the EC ERA.Net RUS Plus project No. 237 WATERSPLIT, Russian Basic Research Foundation No. 16-53-76019, and additionally by the IMIS2 Program (Latvia). The authors are also indebted to R. A. Evarestov and O. Lisovski for stimulating discussions as well as to A. Chesnokov for technical assistance.