Controlled electrodeposition of cobalt nanowires usingcompensation and their electron transport properties.

Superconducting hybrid structures based on single nanowires are a new type of nanoscale devices with peculiar transport characteristics. Control over the nanowire structure is essential for understanding hybrid electronic phenomena arising in such complex systems. In this work, we report a technique for the fabrication of cobalt nanowires by template-assisted electrodeposition usingcompensation, which allows revealing the fundamental dependence of the preferred direction of nanowire growth on the deposition potential.

Three-Dimensional Photonic Crystals Based on Porous Anodic Aluminum Oxide.

Photonic crystals (PCs) consisting of a periodic arrangement of holes in dielectric media have found success in light manipulation and sensing. Among them, three-dimensional (3D) PCs are in high demand due to their unique properties originating from multiple photonic band gaps (PBGs) and even full ones. Here, 3D PCs based on porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) were fabricated for the first time.

Chirp-driven control over fast-slow light effects in epsilon-near-zero metamaterials.

Optical applications based on fast and slow light effects force the usage of metamaterials famous for their flexible dispersion properties. In this work, we apply the unique optical nonlocality of metal nanorod-based epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials along with the chirp of femtosecond laser pulses for astonishing control of these effects. We demonstrate the switching between the fast and slow light phenomena via the change of the angle of incidence and/or the central wavelength of chirped pulses in the vicinity of metamaterial zero-transmission regime mediated by the ENZ nonlocality.

Stained Glass Effect in Anodic Aluminum Oxide Formed in Selenic Acid.

A combination of the unique porous structure and physical and chemical properties of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) makes it widely used in cutting-edge areas of materials science and nanotechnology. Selenic acid electrolyte provides the ability to obtain AAO with low porosity and high optical transparency and thus is promising for the preparation of AAO photonic crystals (PhCs). Here, we show the influence of crystallographic orientation of Al on the electrochemical oxidation rate in 1 M HSeO as well as on the growth rate, porosity, and the effective refractive index of AAO.

Towards High-Temperature MEMS: Two-Step Annealing Suppressed Recrystallization in Thin Multilayer Pt-Rh/Zr Films.

Platinum-based thin films are widely used to create microelectronic devices operating at temperatures above 500 °C. One of the most effective ways to increase the high-temperature stability of platinum-based films involves incorporating refractory metal oxides (e.g.

Self-action effects in hyperbolic metamaterials based on gold nanorods.

Intensive studies of hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) are induced by unique optical properties of this type of artificial media associated with their hyperbolic dispersion. Special attention is attracted to the nonlinear optical response of HMMs, which reveals anomalous behavior in definite spectral regions. Third-order nonlinear optical self-action effects that are perspective for applications were analyzed numerically, whereas such experiments have not been performed up to now.

Long-Term Operational Stability of Ta/Pt Thin-Film Microheaters: Impact of the Ta Adhesion Layer.

Microheaters with long-term stability are crucial for the development of a variety of microelectronic devices operated at high temperatures. Structured Ta/Pt bilayers, in which the Ta sublayer ensures high adhesion of the Pt resistive layer, are widely used to create microheaters. Herein, a comprehensive study of the microstructure of Ta/Pt films using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy with local elemental analysis reveals the twofold nature of Ta after annealing.

Mosaic of Anodic Alumina Inherited from Anodizing of Polycrystalline Substrate in Oxalic Acid.

The anodizing of aluminium under oscillating conditions is a versatile and reproducible method for the preparation of one-dimensional photonic crystals (PhCs). Many anodizing parameters have been optimised to improve the optical properties of anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) PhCs. However, the influence of the crystallographic orientation of an Al substrate on the characteristics of AAO PhCs has not been considered yet.

Size-Dependent Superconducting Properties of In Nanowire Arrays.

Arrays of superconducting nanowires may be useful as elements of novel nanoelectronic devices. The superconducting properties of nanowires differ significantly from the properties of bulk structures. For instance, different vortex configurations of the magnetic field have previously been predicted for nanowires with different diameters.

Increasing the Efficiency of Cytochrome P450 3A4 Electrocatalysis Using Electrode Modification with Spatially Ordered Anodic Aluminum Oxide-Based Nanostructures for Investigation of Metabolic Transformations of Drugs.

A new approach for modifying electrodes using porous membranes based on anodic aluminum oxide with pore diameters of 0.1 and 0.2 µm and a membrane-like substance didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) was proposed to study the electrocatalytic efficiency of the system.

New insight into anodization of aluminium with focused ion beam pre-patterning.

The self-ordered anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) structure consists of micron-scale domains-defect-free areas with a hexagonal arrangement of pores. A substantial increase in domain size is possible solely by pre-patterning the aluminium surface in the form of a defect-free hexagonal array of concaves, which guide the pore growth during subsequent anodization. Among the numerous pre-patterning techniques, direct etching by focused gallium ion beam (Ga FIB) allows the preparation of AAO with a custom-made geometry through precise control of the irradiation positions, beam energy, and ion dosage.

Superconducting Bio-Inspired Au-Nanowire-Based Neurons.

High-performance modeling of neurophysiological processes is an urgent task that requires new approaches to information processing. In this context, two- and three-junction superconducting quantum interferometers with Josephson weak links based on gold nanowires are fabricated and investigated experimentally. The studied cells are proposed for the implementation of bio-inspired neurons-high-performance, energy-efficient, and compact elements of neuromorphic processor.

One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals with Nonbranched Pores Prepared via Phosphorous Acid Anodizing of Aluminium.

One-dimensional photonic crystals (1D PhCs) obtained by aluminium anodizing under oscillating conditions are promising materials with structure-dependent optical properties. Electrolytes based on sulphuric, oxalic, and selenic acids have been utilized for the preparation of anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) 1D PhCs with sub-100-nm pore diameter. AAO films with larger pores can be obtained by anodizing in phosphorous acid at high voltages.

Pore Ordering in Anodic Aluminum Oxide: Interplay between the Pattern of Pore Nuclei and the Crystallographic Orientation of Aluminum.

Anodization of aluminum with a pre-patterned surface is a promising approach for preparing anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) films with defect-free pore arrangement. Although pronounced effects of crystallographic orientation of Al on the AAO structure have been demonstrated, all current studies on the anodization of pre-patterned aluminum consider the substrate as an isotropic medium and, thus, do not consider the azimuthal orientation of the pattern relative to the basis vectors of the Al unit cell. Here, we investigate the interplay between the azimuthal alignment of the pore nuclei array and the crystallographic orientation of aluminum.

Polarization-enhanced cell walls etching of anodic titanium oxide.

Anodic titanium oxide (ATO) photonic crystals (PhCs) are promising for photonics, photocatalysis, and solar cells. A refractive index modulation in ATO PhCs is caused by the modulation of porosity and, thus, the pore diameter should be controlled precisely. The ATO cell walls etching in electrolyte solution during anodizing increases the porosity of the PhC structure and shifts the photonic band gap (PBG) position to shorter wavelengths.

Uniform arrays of gold nanoelectrodes with tuneable recess depth.

Nanoelectrode arrays are much in demand in electroanalytical chemistry, electrocatalysis, and bioelectrochemistry. One of the promising approaches for the preparation of such systems is templated electrodeposition. In the present study, porous anodic alumina templates are used to prepare Au nanoelectrode arrays.

Environment-induced overheating phenomena in Au-nanowire based Josephson junctions.

Unlike conventional planar Josephson junctions, nanowire-based devices have a bridge geometry with a peculiar coupling to environment that can favor non-equilibrium electronic phenomena. Here we measure the influence of the electron bath overheating on critical current of several bridge-like junctions built on a single Au-nanowire. Using the Usadel theory and applying the two-fluid description for the normal and superconducting components of the flowing currents, we reveal and explain the mutual influence of the neighbouring junctions on their characteristics through various processes of the electron gas overheating.

Superluminal and slow femtosecond laser pulses in hyperbolic metamaterials in epsilon-near-zero regime.

Flourish of optics of hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) is stimulated by their exotic optical properties. Here, we demonstrate resonant changes of the group retardation and superluminal-like propagation of femtosecond laser pulses in nanorod-based HMMs in the vicinity of epsilon-near-zero spectral point responsible for the transition between topologically distinct elliptic and hyperbolic light dispersions. Resonant dynamics of ultrashort pulses appears in a unique case when their spectral components are in both dispersion regimes simultaneously.

Permeability of anodic alumina membranes grown on low-index aluminium surfaces.

Porous anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) membranes have various practical applications in separation and purification technologies. Numerous approaches have been utilized to tailor the transport properties of porous AAO films, but all of them assume an isotropic nature of anodized aluminium. Here, the impact of aluminium crystallography on the permeability of AAO membranes is disclosed.

Magneto-optical effects in hyperbolic metamaterials based on ordered arrays of bisegmented gold/nickel nanorods.

Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMM) based on multilayered metal/dielectric films or ordered arrays of metal nanorods in a dielectric matrix are extremely attractive optical materials for manipulating over the parameters of the light flow. One of the most promising tools for tuning the optical properties of metamaterialsis the application of an external magnetic field. However, for the case of HMM based on the ordered arrays of magneto-plasmonic nanostructures, this effect has not been clearly demonstrated until now.

Bismuth nanowires: electrochemical fabrication, structural features, and transport properties.

Electrochemical aspects of Bi electrocrystallization from a bath containing bismuth nitrate in a mixture of ethylene glycol and water are addressed. Bismuth nanowires with diameters of 50-120 nm and a length of up to a few dozen microns were prepared by electrodeposition into the pores of anodic aluminium oxide templates. Crystal structure and morphology of electrodeposited materials were characterized using electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and X-ray diffraction analysis.

Second-harmonic generation spectroscopy in gold nanorod-based epsilon-near-zero metamaterials.

The interest in hyperbolic metamaterials is fueled by fascinating optical properties exhibited by this class of artificial media. Their optical features originate from hyperbolic dispersion emerging due to the shape anisotropy of the metal-dielectric composite. In this work, we study experimentally and numerically the second-harmonic generation (SHG) in ordered arrays of Au nanorods embedded in porous aluminum oxide.

Anomalous birefringence and enhanced magneto-optical effects in epsilon-near-zero metamaterials based on nanorods' arrays.

Hyperbolic metamaterials based on the ordered arrays of metal nanorods in a dielectric media are of great interest owing to new optical effects appearing in such artificial media. Here we study the effects in the polarization state of light passing through a nanocomposite material consisting of Au nanorods in porous alumina and a similar structure supplemented by a nanolayer of ferromagnetic nickel. We demonstrate that close to the epsilon-near-zero dispersion point, under the transition to the hyperbolic dispersion region, the nanocomposites reveal anomalously high modulation of the polarization state of light, which appears as polarization plane rotation and ellipticity changes of probing radiation with a zero ellipticity.

Anomalous magneto-resistance of Ni-nanowire/Nb hybrid system.

We examine the influence of superconductivity on the magneto-transport properties of a ferromagnetic Ni nanowire connected to Nb electrodes. We show experimentally and confirm theoretically that the Nb/Ni interface plays an essential role in the electron transport through the device. Just below the superconducting transition, a strong inverse proximity effect from the nanowire suppresses superconducting correlations at Nb/Ni interfaces, resulting in a conventional anisotropic magneto-resistive response.