Ferritin adsorption onto chrysotile asbestos fibers influences the protein secondary structure.

Asbestos fiber exposure triggers chronic inflammation and cancer. Asbestos fibers can adsorb different types of proteins. The mechanism of this adsorption, not yet completely understood, has been studied in detail mainly with serum albumin and was shown to induce structural changes in the bound protein.

TiO Phase Ratio's Contribution to the Photocatalytic Activity.

Photocatalysis is one of the approaches for solving environmental issues derived from extremely harmful pollution caused by industrial dyes, medicine, and heavy metals. Titanium dioxide is among the most promising photocatalytic semiconductors; thus, in this work, TiO powders were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis using titanium tetrachloride TiCl as a Ti source. The effect of the hydrochloric acid (HCl) concentration on TiO formation was analyzed, in which a thorough morpho-structural analysis was performed employing different analysis methods like XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM/TEM, and N physisorption.

Atomic scale insight into the decomposition of nanocrystalline zinc hydroxynitrate toward ZnO using Mn paramagnetic probes.

Layered zinc hydroxynitrate (ZHN), with the chemical formula Zn (OH) (NO)·2HO, exhibits a range of special properties such as anion-exchange and intercalation capacity, as well as biocompatibility, making it attractive for a large variety of applications in fields from nanotechnology to healthcare and agriculture. In this study nanocrystalline ZHN doped with 1,000 ppm Mn was prepared by two synthesis methods (coprecipitation and solid state reaction) using similar environment-friendly precursors. The complex morpho-structural [X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, textural analysis] and spectroscopic [Fourier transform infrared and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)] characterization of the two ZHN nanopowders showed similar crystalline structures with Mn ions localized in the nanocrystals volume, but with differences in their morphological and textural characteristics, as well as in the doping efficiency.

Synthesis of Nickel and Cobalt Ferrite-Doped Graphene as Efficient Catalysts for Improving the Hydrogen Storage Kinetics of Lithium Borohydride.

Featuring a high hydrogen storage content of up to 20 wt%, complex metal borohydrides remain promising solid state hydrogen storage materials, with the real prospect of reversible behavior for a zero-emission economy. However, the thermodynamic barriers and sluggish kinetics are still barriers to overcome. In this context, nanoconfinement has provided a reliable method to improve the behavior of hydrogen storage materials.

A new method for obtaining the magnetic shape anisotropy directly from electron tomography images.

A new methodology to obtain magnetic information on magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) systems via electron tomography techniques is reported in this work. The new methodology is implemented in an under-development software package called Magn3t, written in Python and C++. A novel image-filtering technique that reduces the highly undesired diffraction effects in the tomography tilt-series has been also developed in order to increase the reliability of the correlations between morphology and magnetism.

Relationship between the Formation of Magnetic Clusters and Hexagonal Phase of Gold Matrix in AuFe Nanophase Thin Films.

AuFe nanophase thin films of different compositions and thicknesses were prepared by co-deposition magnetron sputtering. Complex morpho-structural and magnetic investigations of the films were performed by X-ray Diffraction, cross-section Transmission Electron Microscopy, Selected Area Electron Diffraction, Magneto Optical Kerr Effect, Superconducting Quantum Interference Device magnetometry and Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy. It was proven that depending on the preparation conditions, different configurations of defect α-Fe magnetic clusters, i.

Controlling polarization direction in epitaxial Pb(ZrTi)O films through Nb (n-type) and Fe (p-type) doping.

Fe (acceptor) and Nb (donor) doped epitaxial Pb(ZrTi)O (PZT) films were grown on single crystal SrTiO substrates and their electric properties were compared to those of un-doped PZT layers deposited in similar conditions. All the films were grown from targets produced from high purity precursor oxides and the doping was in the limit of 1% atomic in both cases. The remnant polarization, the coercive field and the potential barriers at electrode interfaces are different, with lowest values for Fe doping and highest values for Nb doping, with un-doped PZT in between.

Homogeneous versus Inhomogeneous Polarization Switching in PZT Thin Films: Impact of the Structural Quality and Correlation to the Negative Capacitance Effect.

Polarization switching in ferroelectric films is exploited in many applications, such as non-volatile memories and negative capacitance field affect transistors. This can be inhomogeneous or homogeneous, depending on if ferroelectric domains are forming or not during the switching process. The relation between the polarization switching, the structural quality of the films and the negative capacitance was not studied in depth.

The Physico-Chemical Properties and Exploratory Real-Time Cell Analysis of Hydroxyapatite Nanopowders Substituted with Ce, Mg, Sr, and Zn (0.5-5 at.%).

Cation-substituted hydroxyapatite (HA), standalone or as a composite (blended with polymers or metals), is currently regarded as a noteworthy candidate material for bone repair/regeneration either in the form of powders, porous scaffolds or coatings for endo-osseous dental and orthopaedic implants. As a response to the numerous contradictions reported in literature, this work presents, in one study, the physico-chemical properties and the cytocompatibility response of single cation-doped (Ce, Mg, Sr or Zn) HA nanopowders in a wide concentration range (0.5-5 at.

Accidental Impurities in Epitaxial Pb(ZrTi)O Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition and Their Impact on the Macroscopic Electric Properties.

Structural and electrical properties of epitaxial Pb(ZrTi)O films grown by pulsed laser deposition from targets with different purities are investigated in this study. One target was produced in-house by using high purity precursor oxides (at least 99.99%), and the other target was a commercial product (99.