Publications by authors named "Karen A DeRocher"

Dental enamel is a principal component of teeth, and has evolved to bear large chewing forces, resist mechanical fatigue and withstand wear over decades. Functional impairment and loss of dental enamel, caused by developmental defects or tooth decay (caries), affect health and quality of life, with associated costs to society. Although the past decade has seen progress in our understanding of enamel formation (amelogenesis) and the functional properties of mature enamel, attempts to repair lesions in this material or to synthesize it in vitro have had limited success.

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Cadmium telluride (CdTe) tetrapods are synthesized with varying aspect ratios through multiple injections of the Te precursor, which provides an excellent means of controlling and tailoring the optical properties of the tetrapods. The self-assembly of CdTe tetrapods at the air/water interface is explored using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique due to potential use in solar cells arising from the intriguing tetrapod shape that improves charge transport and the optimum band gap energy of CdTe that enhances light absorption. Interestingly, the Langmuir isotherm shows two pressure plateau regions: one at approximately 10 mN/m with the other at the high surface pressure of approximately 39 mN/m.

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