Silicon microfabrication technologies for biology integrated advance devices and interfaces.

Miniaturization is the trend to manufacture ever smaller devices and this process requires knowledge, experience, understanding of materials, manufacturing techniques and scaling laws. The fabrication techniques used in semiconductor industry deliver an exceptionally high yield of devices and provide a well-established platform. Today, these miniaturized devices are manufactured with high reproducibility, design flexibility, scalability and multiplexed features to be used in several applications including micro-, nano-fluidics, implantable chips, diagnostics/biosensors and neural probes.

A Slot-Die Technique for the Preparation of Continuous, High-Area, Chitosan-Based Thin Films.

Chitosan-based films have a diverse range of potential applications but are currently limited in terms of commercial use due to a lack of methods specifically designed to produce thin films in high volumes. To address this limitation directly, hydrogels prepared from chitosan, chitosan-tetraethoxy silane, also known as tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and chitosan-glutaraldehyde have been used to prepare continuous thin films using a slot-die technique which is described in detail. By way of preliminary analysis of the resulting films for comparison purposes with films made by other methods, the mechanical strength of the films produced was assessed.

Towards High Performance Chemical Vapour Deposition VO Cathodes for Batteries Employing Aqueous Media.

The need for clean and efficient energy storage has become the center of attention due to the eminent global energy crisis and growing ecological concerns. A key component in this effort is the ultra-high performance battery, which will play a major role in the energy industry. To meet the demands in portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and large-scale energy storage systems, it is necessary to prepare advanced batteries with high safety, fast charge ratios, and discharge capabilities at a low cost.

A Critical Review of Electrochemical Glucose Sensing: Evolution of Biosensor Platforms Based on Advanced Nanosystems.

The research field of glucose biosensing has shown remarkable growth and development since the first reported enzyme electrode in 1962. Extensive research on various immobilization methods and the improvement of electron transfer efficiency between the enzyme and the electrode have led to the development of various sensing platforms that have been constantly evolving with the invention of advanced nanostructures and their nano-composites. Examples of such nanomaterials or composites include gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, carbon/graphene quantum dots and chitosan hydrogel composites, all of which have been exploited due to their contributions as components of a biosensor either for improving the immobilization process or for their electrocatalytic activity towards glucose.

Compositional Tuning of the Aurivillius Phase Material BiTiFeNbO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) Grown by Chemical Solution Deposition and its Influence on the Structural, Magnetic, and Optical Properties of the Material.

A series of Aurivillius phase materials, BiTi Fe NbO ( [Formula: see text], 0.1, 0.2, 0.

A dual-enzyme, micro-band array biosensor based on the electrodeposition of carbon nanotubes embedded in chitosan and nanostructured Au-foams on microfabricated gold band electrodes.

We report the development of a dual-enzyme electrochemical biosensor based on microfabricated gold band array electrodes which were first modified by gold foam (Au-foam) in order to dramatically increase the active surface area. The resulting nanostructured Au-foam deposits then served as a highly porous 3D matrix for the electrodeposition of a nanocomposite film consisting of multi walled carbon nanotubes embedded in a chitosan matrix (CS:MWCNT) designed to provide a conducting, biocompatible and chemically versatile surface suitable for the attachment of a wide range of chemically or biologically active agents. Finally, a dual enzyme mixture of glucose oxidase (GOx) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was immobilised onto the CS:MWCNT nanocomposite film surface.

Effect of Surface and Defect Chemistry on the Photocatalytic Properties of Intentionally Defect-Rich ZnO Nanorod Arrays.

Due to the abundance of intrinsic defects in zinc oxide (ZnO), the material properties are often governed by same. Knowledge of the defect chemistry has proven to be highly important, especially in terms of the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants. Given the fact that defect-free materials or structures exhibiting only one type of defect are extremely difficult to produce, it is necessary to evaluate what influence various defects may have when present together in the material.

Synthesis and characterisation of cross-linked chitosan composites functionalised with silver and gold nanoparticles for antimicrobial applications.

We present a study of a range of cross-linked chitosan composites with potential antimicrobial applications. They were formed by cross-linking chitosan and siloxane networks and by introducing silver and gold nanoparticles (NPs). The aim was to investigate whether adding the metal NPs to the chitosan-siloxane composite would lead to a material with enhanced antimicrobial ability as compared to chitosan itself.

Direct atomic scale determination of magnetic ion partition in a room temperature multiferroic material.

The five-layer Aurivillius phase BiTiFeMnO system is a rare example of a single-phase room temperature multiferroic material. To optimise its properties and exploit it for future memory storage applications, it is necessary to understand the origin of the room temperature magnetisation. In this work we use high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, EDX and EELS to discover how closely-packed Ti/Mn/Fe cations of similar atomic number are arranged, both within the perfect structure and within defect regions.

Defect-promoted photo-electrochemical performance enhancement of orange-luminescent ZnO nanorod-arrays.

Intentionally defect-rich zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod-arrays were grown from solution by carefully adjusting the concentration ratio of the growth-precursors used followed by various post-deposition thermal treatments. Post-deposition rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at moderate temperatures (350 °C-550 °C) and in various atmospheres was applied to vary the defect composition of the grown nanorod-arrays. It is demonstrated that, intense, defect-related orange emission occurs solely upon RTA around 450 °C and is essentially independent of the atmosphere used.

Lithographically Defined, Room Temperature Low Threshold Subwavelength Red-Emitting Hybrid Plasmonic Lasers.

Hybrid plasmonic lasers provide deep subwavelength optical confinement, strongly enhanced light-matter interaction and together with nanoscale footprint promise new applications in optical communication, biosensing, and photolithography. The subwavelength hybrid plasmonic lasers reported so far often use bottom-up grown nanowires, nanorods, and nanosquares, making it difficult to integrate these devices into industry-relevant high density plasmonic circuits. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of AlGaInP based, red-emitting hybrid plasmonic lasers at room temperature using lithography based fabrication processes.

Large Area 2D and 3D Colloidal Photonic Crystals Fabricated by a Roll-to-Roll Langmuir-Blodgett Method.

We present our results on the fabrication of large area colloidal photonic crystals on flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film using a roll-to-roll Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) colloidal photonic crystals from silica nanospheres (250 and 550 nm diameter) with a total area of up to 340 cm(2) have been fabricated in a continuous manner compatible with high volume manufacturing. In addition, the antireflective properties and structural integrity of the films have been enhanced via the use of a second roll-to-roll process, employing a slot-die coating of an optical adhesive over the photonic crystal films.

Absence of evidence ≠ evidence of absence: statistical analysis of inclusions in multiferroic thin films.

Assertions that a new material may offer particularly advantageous properties should always be subjected to careful critical evaluation, especially when those properties can be affected by the presence of inclusions at trace level. This is particularly important for claims relating to new multiferroic compounds, which can easily be confounded by unobserved second phase magnetic inclusions. We demonstrate an original methodology for the detection, localization and quantification of second phase inclusions in thin Aurivillius type films.

The effects of using ALD-grown ZnO buffer layers on the properties of indium tin oxide grown by chemical solution deposition.

In comparison to ITO films prepared by chemical solution deposition on bare substrates, the use of a ZnO buffer layer and Al2O3 barrier layer has been shown to have a significant effect on morphology, measured sheet resistance and therefore resistivity. In the case of quartz substrates, ITO resistivity decreased from 9.6 x 10(-3) ohms cm to 4.

The langmuir-blodgett approach to making colloidal photonic crystals from silica spheres.

The area of colloidal photonic crystal research has attracted enormous attention in recent years as a result of the potential of such materials to provide the means of fabricating new or improved photonic devices. As an area where chemistry still predominates over engineering the field is still in its infancy in terms of finding real applications being limited by ease of fabrication, reproducibility and 'quality'- for example the extent to which ordered structures may be prepared over large areas. It is our contention that the Langmuir-Blodgett assembly method when applied to colloidal particles of silica and perhaps other materials, offers a way of overcoming these issues.

Langmuir-Blodgett assembly of colloidal photonic crystals using silica particles prepared without the use of surfactant molecules.

This short communication reports the observation that in contrast to most previously reported procedures, it is possible to prepare 3D photonic crystal structures from silica particles that have not been deliberately treated with surfactant molecules, using the Langmuir-Blodgett method. We find that colloidal particles prepared simply via the Stöber method with diameters in the range 180-360 nm and dispersed in ethanol, may be effectively floated at the air/water interface and compressed into close packed layers prior to depositing the layers on a substrate. We also find, by comparing structures made with both particles treated with the surfactants 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate or (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and particles which have not been treated with any surfactant species, that the position of the Bragg peak and the reflectivity of the sample does not appear to be influenced by the presence of the surfactant molecules.

Family functioning, perceived control, and anxiety: a mediational model.

Research has focused on defining which types of family interactions promote development of anxiety. Control has emerged as an important construct in anxious families. Central to conceptualizing the relationship between family functioning, control beliefs, and anxiety is establishing a sequential relationship among these variable, which may entail mediating or moderating relationships, or relationships that change over the course of development.

Di-&mgr;-hydroxo-bis(diisopropylgallium)-1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8, 11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (1/1).

The hydrolysis product [Ga(2)(C(3)H(7))(4)(OH)(2)].C(14)H(32)N(4), derived from the tetrakis(triisopropylgallium)-1,4,8, 11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (1/1) adduct, consists of a centrosymmetric [(i)Pr(2)Ga(&mgr;-OH)](2) unit hydrogen bonded through the hydroxyl group to a nitrogen on an adjacent centrosymmetric 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8, 11-tetraazacyclotetradecane molecule, resulting in the generation of a molecular chain through the crystal.

The ontogeny and distribution of neuropeptides in the human fetal and infant esophagus.

The innervation and neuropeptide expression of fetal and infant human esophagus were studied. Esophageal samples (n = 30) from 8 weeks' gestation to 28 months of age were immunostained using antisera to general and specific neuronal antigens, and the results were quantified using computer-assisted image analysis. Nerve protein (protein gene peptide 9.

Quantitative study of the development and maturation of human oesophageal innervation.

By 8 wk gestation, the human fetal oesophagus is identifiable as a hollow epithelium-lined tube with primitive nerve and muscle precursors present. From 8-16 wk gestation, the muscle layers and innervation mature until fetal swallowing commences at 16 wk. This study examines quantitatively the development and maturation of nerve fibres and cell bodies within the oesophagus using histochemistry.