Functionalized carbon nanotube reinforced scaffolds for bone regenerative engineering: fabrication, in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

Designing biodegradable scaffolds with bone-compatible mechanical properties has been a significant challenge in the field of bone tissue engineering and regenerative engineering. The objective of this work is to improve the polymeric scaffold's mechanical strength by compositing it with mechanically superior carbon nanotubes. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microsphere scaffolds exhibit mechanical properties in the range of human cancellous bone.

Microstructure and interfacial chemistry of pure and La-doped BiFeO₃ thin films.

We report on the microstructure and interfacial chemistry of thin films of pure and La-doped multiferroic bismuth ferrite (Bi1-x Lax FeO3 or BLFO), synthesized on Indium Tin Oxide-coated glass substrates by solution-deposition technique and studied using scanning transmission electron microscopy. Our results show that undoped and La-doped thin films are polycrystalline with distorted rhombohedral structure without any presence of any line or planar defect in the films. In addition, the films with La doping did not show any structural change and maintain the equilibrium structure.

Synthesis of novel Ru2C under high pressure-high temperature conditions.

We report here, for the first time, synthesis of the Fe(2)N type hexagonal phase of ruthenium carbide by a high pressure-high temperature technique using a laser heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC). The synthesis is carried out by laser heating a mixture of pure elements, Ru and C, at very low 'pressure' of 5 GPa and T ~ 2000 K. The structure of the temperature quenched high pressure phase is characterized by in situ high pressure x-ray diffraction (HPXRD) and is corroborated by ex situ TEM imaging and diffraction, carried out for the first time on the retrieved sample synthesized by LHDAC.

Photosensitization of ZnO nanowires with CdSe quantum dots for photovoltaic devices.

We combine CdSe semiconductor nanocrystals (or quantum dots) and single-crystal ZnO nanowires to demonstrate a new type of quantum-dot-sensitized solar cell. An array of ZnO nanowires was grown vertically from a fluorine-doped tin oxide conducting substrate. CdSe quantum dots, capped with mercaptopropionic acid, were attached to the surface of the nanowires.