Development of Singlet Oxygen Luminescence Kinetics during the Photodynamic Inactivation of Green Algae.

Recent studies show the feasibility of photodynamic inactivation of green algae as a vital step towards an effective photodynamic suppression of biofilms by using functionalized surfaces. The investigation of the intrinsic mechanisms of photodynamic inactivation in green algae represents the next step in order to determine optimization parameters. The observation of singlet oxygen luminescence kinetics proved to be a very effective approach towards understanding mechanisms on a cellular level.

Bandgap engineering of Cd(x)Zn(1-x)Te nanowires.

Bandgap engineering of single-crystalline alloy Cd(x)Zn(1-x)Te (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) nanowires is achieved successfully through control of growth temperature and a two zone source system in a vapor-liquid-solid process. Extensive characterization using electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence shows highly crystalline alloy nanowires with precise tuning of the bandgap. It is well known that bulk Cd(x)Zn(1-x)Te is popular for construction of radiation detectors and availability of a nanowire form of this material would help to improve detection sensitivity and miniaturization.