Search results for "amorphous"

Structural Modification Processes in Bulk and Nano-sized Amorphous SiO2 Systems.

2011

The effect of silica nanoparticles on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of polycarbonate

2012

Abstract Polycarbonate/silica nanocomposites with different silica quantities were prepared by a melt compounding method. The effect of silica amount, in the range 1–5 wt.%, on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of polycarbonate (PC) was investigated. Clusters of silica nanoparticles were well dispersed in the polycarbonate whose structure remained amorphous. NMR results showed intermolecular interactions involving the carbonyl groups of different polymeric chains which did not affect the intramolecular rotational motions. The presence of the lowest silica content showed a decrease in the storage and loss moduli below the glass transition temperature, pro…

Nanostructure, composition and mechanisms of bivalve shell growth

2008

Abstract Freshwater and marine cultured pearls form via identical processes to the shells of bivalves and can therefore serve as models for the biomineralization of bivalve shells in general. Their nanostructure consists of membrane-coated granules (vesicles) which contain amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) at the beginning of the biomineralization sequence, preceding the crystallization of aragonite and vaterite. In contrast to the commonly accepted view, crystallization of ACC occurs rapidly and within the granular nano-compartments mediated by organic molecules much earlier than platelet formation. The interlamellar organic sheets in nacre that form the platelet structure of nacre themsel…

Selenium Nanoparticles Synthesized via a Facile Hydrothermal Method

2012

Crystalline selenium nanostructures were synthesized from the reaction of a GeSe3 glass with water at 85°C for 144 hours. The hydrolysis of the Ge-Se bonds releases Se fragments in the solution where they form a colloidal suspension of amorphous nanospheres. The later evolve toward a more stable hexagonal phase (trigonal) leading to the anisotropic growth of one-dimensional monocrystalline structures. Filaments, bars and tubes of monocrystalline trigonal selenium were obtained with diameters ranging from 10 nm to 1 µm and aspect ratio up to 180. This simple process in aqueous solution opens new perspectives for the synthesis of 1D nanoparticles of trigonal selenium at large scale.

TEM and Raman characterisation of diamond micro- and nanostructures in carbon spherules from upper soils

2008

Carbonaceous spherules of millimeter size diameter and found in the upper soils throughout Europe are investigated by TEM, including SAED, HRTEM and EELS, and Raman spectroscopy. The spherules consist primarily of carbon and have an open cell-like internal structure. Most of the carbon appears in an amorphous state, but different morphologies of nano- and microdiamond particles have also been discovered including flake shapes. The latter observation, together with the original findings of some of these spherules in crater-like structures in the landscape and including severely deformed rocks with some spherules being embedded in the fused crust of excavated rocks, points towards unique cond…

Room-temperature efficient light detection by amorphous Ge quantum wells

2013

In this work, ultrathin amorphous Ge films (2 to 30 nm in thickness) embedded in SiO2 layers were grown by magnetron sputtering and employed as proficient light sensitizer in photodetector devices. A noteworthy modification of the visible photon absorption is evidenced due to quantum confinement effects which cause both a blueshift (from 0.8 to 1.8 eV) in the bandgap and an enhancement (up to three times) in the optical oscillator strength of confined carriers. The reported quantum confinement effects have been exploited to enhance light detection by Ge quantum wells, as demonstrated by photodetectors with an internal quantum efficiency of 70%. © 2013 Cosentino et al.

Highly untangled multiwalled carbon nanotube@polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane ionic hybrids: Synthesis, characterization and nonlinear optical pr…

2015

Abstract Highly de-bundled multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) polymer nanohybrids were obtained via ionic assembling of a novel POSS-polyimidazolium-ionic liquid (POSS = polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes) with oxidized MWCNTs. The synthesis, accomplished by a simple bilayer chloroform/water metathetical reaction process, was promoted by the high surfactant properties of POSS-imidazolium-polyionic liquid, which assisted the effective de-bundling, dispersion and purification of the as prepared POSS@MWCNT polymers in organic media, via a surface coating mechanism. The presence of remarkably intense radial breathing modes (RBMs) in Raman spectra, both in solution and as solid, corroborates…

Depletion of carbon nanotube depositions and tube realignment in the spreading of sessile drops

2015

Abstract We studied spreading of drops of water and dilute alcohol on multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) depositions. These deposits consisted of individual arc-discharge synthesized MWNTs and irregular amorphous carbon nanoparticles on hydrophilically rendered silicon substrates. The mobile circular contact line of a spreading drop created an annular shape on the deposit, where some of the MWNTs and the amorphous nanoparticles in particular were largely depleted. The effect was strongly dependent on the hydrophilicity of the substrate. Most of the MWNTs were not only left within the annuli, but were also apparently reoriented by their interaction with the passing contact line. Our results im…

Preparation and recrystallization behavior of spray-dried co-amorphous naproxen–indomethacin

2016

To improve the dissolution properties and the physical stability of amorphous active pharmaceutical ingredients, small molecule stabilizing agents may be added to prepare co-amorphous systems. The objective of the study was to investigate if spray-drying allows the preparation of co-amorphous drug-drug systems such as naproxen-indomethacin and to examine the influence of the process conditions on the resulting initial sample crystallinity and the recrystallization behavior of the drug(s). For this purpose, the process parameters inlet temperature and pump feed rate were varied according to a 2(2) factorial design and the obtained samples were analyzed with X-ray powder diffractometry and Fo…

Reaction Sequence in the Preparation of NiAl2O4 Spinel-Mullite Composites by Sol-Gel

2005

NiAl 2 O 4 spinel-mullite composites were prepared by simultaneous replacement of Al by Ti and/or Ni in 3:2 stoichiometric mullite. Specimens having nominal compositions 3(Al 2-2x Ni x Ti x O 3 ).2SiO 2 (x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.2) and 3(Al 2-x M x O 3) .2SiO 2 (M = Ni 2+ or Ti 4+ and x = 0.05) were synthesized by sol-gel techniques, which provide homogeneous gels in the SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 system. Gel structures investigated by infrared (IR) spectroscopy revealed the formation of Al-O-Si bonds in dried gels. The reaction sequence of gel-derived glasses, previously obtained by preheating gels at 750°C for 3 h, was evaluated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectro…