Beyond the fingertips: imagining haptic technologies for a deafblind future.

In this paper, we imagine how future technologies could support people who have severe hearing and visual impairment or a deafblind condition. Much effort has gone into assistive technologies to improve access for people with visual or hearing impairments, and while some of these systems will work for people with dual sensory loss, this is not always the case. Fewer systems have been developed specifically for this group.

Gold nanoparticle enhanced charge transfer in thin film assemblies of porphyrin-fullerene dyads.

Photoinduced vectorial electron transfer in a molecularly organized porphyrin-fullerene (PF) dyad film is enhanced by the interlayer charge transfer from the porphyrin moiety of the dyad to an octanethiol protected (dcore approximately 2 nm) gold nanoparticle (AuNP) film. By using the time-resolved Maxwell displacement charge (TRMDC) method, the charge separation distance was found to increase by 5 times in a multilayer film structure where the gold nanoparticles face the porphyrin moiety of the dyad, that is, AuNP|PF, compared to the case of the PF layer alone. Films were assembled by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method using octadecylamine (ODA) as the matrix compound.

Silver halide colloid precursors for the synthesis of monolayer-protected clusters.

A new method for the synthesis of monolayer-protected silver clusters (MPCs) based on the two-phase reduction of a stable negatively charged silver bromide sol is described. Phase transfer of the colloid to toluene is accomplished using tetra-n-octylammonium bromide as the phase transfer reagent. The advantage of this synthesis is to uncouple the formation of the silver halide colloid from its transfer and reduction in the organic phase, thus allowing control over each reaction step.

Electron transfer reactions at gold nanoparticles.

It is demonstrated that scanning electrochemical microscopy can be used to investigate the kinetics of electron transfer reactions catalysed by metal nanoparticles supported on an insulating substrate.

Corn starches as film formers in aqueous-based film coating.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the film formation ability and mechanical stress-strain properties of aqueous native corn starches, using free films and film coatings applied to tablets. Free films were prepared from high-amylose corn (Hylon VII), corn and waxy corn starches, using sorbitol and glycerol as plasticizers. The tablets and pellets were film-coated using an air-suspension coater, and characterized with respect to the film coating surface topography, cross-sectional structure and thickness (SEM), and dissolution in vitro.