Exploring the formation of gold/silver nanoalloys with gas-phase synthesis and machine-learning assisted simulations.

While nanoalloys are of paramount scientific and practical interest, the main processes leading to their formation are still poorly understood. Key structural features in the alloy systems, including the crystal phase, chemical ordering, and morphology, are challenging to control at the nanoscale, making it difficult to extend their use to industrial applications. In this contribution, we focus on the gold/silver system that has two of the most prevalent noble metals and combine experiments with simulations to uncover the formation mechanisms at the atomic level.

Tuning photovoltaic response in BiFeCrO films by ferroelectric poling.

Ferroelectric materials are interesting candidates for future photovoltaic applications due to their potential to overcome the fundamental limits of conventional single bandgap semiconductor-based solar cells. Although a more efficient charge separation and above bandgap photovoltages are advantageous in these materials, tailoring their photovoltaic response using ferroelectric functionalities remains puzzling. Here we address this issue by reporting a clear hysteretic character of the photovoltaic effect as a function of electric field and its dependence on the poling history.

Towards sensitive, high-throughput, biomolecular assays based on fluorescence lifetime.

Time-resolved fluorescence detection for robust sensing of biomolecular interactions is developed by implementing time-correlated single photon counting in high-throughput conditions. Droplet microfluidics is used as a promising platform for the very fast handling of low-volume samples. We illustrate the potential of this very sensitive and cost-effective technology in the context of an enzymatic activity assay based on fluorescently-labeled biomolecules.

High-throughput time-correlated single photon counting.

We demonstrate time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) in microfluidic droplets under high-throughput conditions. We discuss the fundamental limitations in the photon acquisition rate imposed by the single photon detection technique and show that it does not preclude accurate fluorescence lifetime (FLT) measurements at a droplet throughput exceeding 1 kHz with remarkable sensitivity. This work paves the way for the implementation of innovative biomolecular interaction assays relying on the FLT detection of nanosecond-lived fluorophores for high-throughput biotechnological applications, including high-throughput screening or cell sorting potentially allowed by droplet microfluidics or other fast sample handling facilities.

Raman scattering of magnetoelectric gallium ferrite thin films.

Gallium ferrite, Ga(2-x)Fe(x)O(3) (GFO), is a promising magnetoelectric material as it exhibits both magnetic and electric orders close to room temperature. Here, we report a temperature-dependent investigation of GFO thin films with x = 1.0 and 1.

Influence of free surface, unsteadiness and viscous effects on oar blade hydrodynamic loads.

Flow around a rowing blade is a very complex phenomenon, involving unsteady three-dimensional flow with violent motion of the free surface. However, in the literature, forces acting on blades are modelled using extreme and dubious simplifications. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of free surface and unsteadiness (two physical characteristics that are commonly neglected when modelling loads on blades) as well as viscous effects.