Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) nanocomposites modified with even and odd chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was blended with medium-chain-length PHAs (mcl-PHAs) for improving its flexibility while nanocellulose (NC) was added as a reinforcing agent. Even and odd-chain-length PHAs, having as main component poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) or poly(3-hydroxynonanoate) (PHN) were synthesized and served as PHB modifiers. The effects of PHO and PHN on the morphology, thermal, mechanical and biodegradation behaviors of PHB were different, especially in the presence of NC.

SAW Hydrogen Sensors with Pd/SnO Layers.

Pd/SnO bilayers for surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors were obtained using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Bilayers were made at several deposition pressures in order to observe the influence of the morphology of the sensitive films on the response of the sensors. The morphological properties were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Effect of Pd/ZnO Morphology on Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor Response.

Laser deposition was used to obtain Pd/ZnO bilayers, which were used as sensing layers in surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors. The effect of laser deposition parameters such as deposition pressure, laser energy per pulse, laser wavelength or pulse duration on the porosity of the Pd and ZnO films used in the sensors was studied. The effect of the morphology of the Pd and ZnO components on the sensor response to hydrogen was assessed.

Pulsed Laser Deposition Derived Bioactive Glass-Ceramic Coatings for Enhancing the Biocompatibility of Scaffolding Materials.

The purpose of this work was to propose and evaluate a new composition for a bioactive glass-ceramic starting from the well-known 45S5 commercial product. Thus, we developed a modified version, including MgO, an oxide that turned out to induce superior mechanical properties and improved biological response. This had the following molar percentages: 46.

Love Wave Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor with Laser-Deposited Nanoporous Gold Sensitive Layer.

Laser-deposited gold immobilization layers with different porosities were incorporated into Love Wave Surface Acoustic Wave sensors (LW-SAWs). Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme was immobilized onto three gold interfaces with different morphologies, and the sensor response to chloroform was measured. The response of the sensors to various chloroform concentrations indicates that their sensing properties (sensitivity, limit of detection) are considerably improved when the gold layers are porous, in comparison to a conventional dense gold layer.

Repetition Rate Effects in Picosecond Laser Microprocessing of Aluminum and Steel in Water.

Picosecond laser drilling was studied in the case of industrial steel and aluminum, which are difficult to microprocess by conventional methods. The dependence of hole morphology and dimensions on the pulse repetition rate and number of pulses in water and air were ascertained. For both materials, the diameter of the hole is larger in water than in air.

Surface Acoustic Wave Hydrogen Sensors Based on Nanostructured Pd/WO₃ Bilayers.

The effect of nanostructure of PLD (Pulsed Laser Deposition)-deposited Pd/WO₃ sensing films on room temperature (RT) hydrogen sensing properties of SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) sensors was studied. WO₃ thin films with different morphologies and crystalline structures were obtained for different substrate temperatures and oxygen deposition pressures. Nanoporous films are obtained at high deposition pressures regardless of the substrate temperature.

Characteristics of Surface Acoustic Wave Sensors with Nanoparticles Embedded in Polymer Sensitive Layers for VOC Detection.

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sensors with several types of polymer sensing films, containing embedded Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) with various dimensions and concentrations, were studied. A sensor with a sensing film consisting of the polymer alone was used for comparison. NPs with a mean diameter of 7 nm were produced by laser ablation with 5 ns pulse durations, and NPs with 13 nm diameters were obtained with a laser having 10 ps pulse durations.

Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor with Pd/ZnO Bilayer Structure for Room Temperature Hydrogen Detection.

A Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) hydrogen sensor with a Pd/ZnO bilayer structure for room temperature sensing operation has been obtained by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). The sensor structure combines a Pd layer with optimized porosity for maximizing mass effects, with the large acoustoelectric effect at the Pd/ZnO interface. The large acoustoelectric effect is due to the fact that ZnO has a surface conductivity which is highly sensitive to chemisorbed gases.

Vitroceramic interface deposited on titanium substrate by pulsed laser deposition method.

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method was used to obtain biovitroceramic thin film coatings on titanium substrates. The composition of the targets was selected from SiO2-CaO-P2O5-(CaF2) systems and the corresponding masses were prepared using the sol-gel method. The depositions were performed in oxygen atmosphere (100mTorr), while the substrates were heated at 400°C.