Peculiar magnetism in Eu substituted BiFeO and its correlation with local structure.

We have systematically investigated the effects of Eu substitution on chemical pressure, bond lengths, microstrain, bond angles, octahedral tilting, vibrational modes and phase transformation, in BiFeO. Correlation between concentration, phase, local structure and magnetism has been explained. Substitution of Eu ions with contrasting magnetic moment and dissimilar size, affects the local structure by changing bond angles and hence modifies spin structure through weakening of Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interaction which lead to destruction of spiral spin configuration.

Modification of graphene oxide film properties using KrF laser irradiation.

Modification of various properties of graphene oxide (GO) films on SiO/Si substrate under KrF laser radiation was extensively studied. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and the electrical resistance measurements were employed to correlate the effects of laser irradiation on structural, chemical and electrical properties of GO films under different laser fluences. Raman spectroscopy shows reduced graphene oxide patterns with increased / ratios in irradiated samples.

Regulation of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Using Biomimetic Fibrous Scaffolds.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a well-studied biological process that takes place during embryogenesis, carcinogenesis, and tissue fibrosis. During EMT, the polarized epithelial cells with a cuboidal architecture adopt an elongated fibroblast-like morphology. This process is accompanied by the expression of many EMT-specific molecular markers.

Biofunctionalization of PEDOT films with laminin-derived peptides.

Unlabelled: Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophenes) (PEDOT) have been extensively explored as materials for biomedical implants such as biosensors, tissue engineering scaffolds and microelectronic devices. Considerable effort has been made to incorporate biologically active molecules into the conducting polymer films in order to improve their long term performance at the soft tissue interface of devices, and the development of functionalized conducting polymers that can be modified with biomolecules would offer important options for device improvement. Here we report surface modification, via straightforward protocols, of carboxylic-acid-functional PEDOT copolymer films with the nonapeptide, CDPGYIGSR, derived from the basement membrane protein laminin.

Study of the nanoscale morphology of polythiophene fibrils and a fullerene derivative.

Nanoscale blending of electron-donor and electron-acceptor materials in solution-processed bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices is crucial for achieving high power conversion efficiency. We used a classic blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene)/phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PCBM) as a model to observe the nanoscale morphology of the P3HT fibrils and PCBM nanoclusters in the mixture. Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) clearly revealed a nanoscopic phase separation.

Influence of operating parameters on surface properties of RF glow discharge oxygen plasma treated TiO₂/PET film for biomedical application.

In this paper, a thin transparent titania (TiO2) film was coated on the surface of flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film using the sol-gel method. The surface properties of the obtained TiO2/PET film were further improved by RF glow discharge oxygen plasma as a function of exposure time and discharge power. The changes in hydrophilicity of TiO2/PET films were analyzed by contact angle measurements and surface energy.

Non-equilibrium cation distribution and enhanced spin disorder in hollow CoFe2O4 nanoparticles.

We present magnetic properties of hollow and solid CoFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles that were obtained by annealing of Co(33)Fe(67)/CoFe(2)O(4) (core/shell) nanoparticles. Hollow nanoparticles were polycrystalline whereas the solid nanoparticles were mostly single crystal. Electronic structure studies were performed by photoemission which revealed that particles with hollow morphology have a higher degree of inversion compared to solid nanoparticles and the bulk counterpart.

Effects of Ag nanoparticles on survival and oxygen consumption of zebra fish embryos, Danio rerio.

Ultrafine silver (Ag) particles, defined as having one dimension in 1-100 nanometer (nm) size range, pose a unique threat to aquatic ecosystems due to their wide use in the healthcare and commercial industries. Previous studies have demonstrated some consequences of nanosilver exposure for earlier life stages of aquatic organisms, but few focus on the effects on metabolic processes such as oxygen consumption. Additionally, few authors have tackled the issue of how size, shape and composition of nanosilver particles are important in determining their level of bioactivity and biodistribution in the aquatic environment.

Antibacterial effects of Tungsten nanoparticles on the Escherichia coli strains isolated from catheterized urinary tract infection (UTI) cases and Staphylococcus aureus.

A significant proportion of all incidents of nosocomial infections in acute-care hospitals is due to contaminated catheters. Alternative strategies e.g.

Orientation-dependent magnetic behavior in aligned nanoparticle arrays constructed by coaxial electrospinning.

A modified electrospinning process has been utilized to align magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles inside highly oriented poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers. The structural characterization of the fiber encapsulated nanoparticle arrays via electron microscopy has been detailed, and the magnetic behavior has been studied using vibrating sample magnetometry. The fiber encapsulated nanoparticle arrays exhibit orientation-dependent magnetic behavior with respect to the applied magnetic field.

Interplay of dopant, defects and electronic structure in driving ferromagnetism in Co-doped oxides: TiO(2), CeO(2) and ZnO.

A comprehensive study of the defects and impurity (Co)-driven ferromagnetism is undertaken in the oxide semiconductors: TiO(2), ZnO and CeO(2). The effect of magnetic (Co(2+)) and non-magnetic (Cu(2+)) impurities in conjunction with defects, such as oxygen vacancies (V(o)), have been thoroughly investigated. Analyses of the x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data reveal the incorporation of cobalt in the lattice, with no signature of cobalt segregation.

Effect of Nb and Sc doping on the phase transformation of sol-gel processed TiO2 nanoparticles.

Nb and Sc doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized via sol-gel technique. Dopant concentration of each element was varied from 0.5 to 1.

Synthesis of a CNT-grafted TiO(2) nanocatalyst and its activity triggered by a DC voltage.

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-grafted TiO(2) (CNT/TiO(2)) was synthesized as an electrically conductive catalyst that exhibits redox ability under electrical excitation besides ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The CNT/TiO(2) material was synthesized by a two-step process. Ni nanoparticles were photodeposited onto TiO(2) first.

Effect of reducing atmosphere on the magnetism of Zn(1-x)Co(x)O (0≤x≤0.10) nanoparticles.

We report the crystal structure and magnetic properties of Zn(1-x)Co(x)O (0≤x≤0.10) nanoparticles synthesized by heating metal acetates in organic solvent. The nanoparticles were crystallized in the wurtzite ZnO structure after annealing in air and in a forming gas (Ar95% + H5%).

Reactive gas condensation synthesis of aluminum nitride nanoparticles.

Aluminum Nitride (AIN) nanoparticles were synthesized using a Reactive Gas Condensation (RGC) technique in which a mixture of ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen (N2) gases were used for the nitridation of aluminum. NH3 served as the reactive gas, while N2 served as both a carrier gas and the inert source for particle condensation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses revealed that at reactive gas compositions greater than 10% NH3 in N2, samples were composed entirely of hexagonal AIN nanoparticles.

Effect of cobalt doping on the phase transformation of TiO2 nanoparticles.

Co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles containing 0.0085, 0.017, 0.

Synthesis and antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles.

Nanometer sized silver particles were synthesized by inert gas condensation and co-condensation techniques. Both techniques are based on the evaporation of a metal into an inert atmosphere with the subsequent cooling for the nucleation and growth of the nanoparticles. The antibacterial efficiency of the nanoparticles was investigated by introducing the particles into a media containing Escherichia coli.