Surface energy and stress driven growth of extremely long and high-density ZnO nanowires using a thermal step-oxidation process.

Formation of highly crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires with an extremely high aspect ratio (length = 60 μm, diameter = 50 nm) is routinely achieved by introducing an intermediate step-oxidation method during the thermal oxidation process of thin zinc (Zn) films. High-purity Zn was deposited onto clean glass substrates at room temperature using a vacuum-assisted thermal evaporation technique. Afterwards, the as-deposited Zn layers were thermally oxidized under a closed air ambient condition at different temperatures and durations.

Role of Different States of Solubilized Water on Solvation Dynamics and Rotational Relaxation of Coumarin 490 in Reverse Micelles of Gemini Surfactants, Water/12--12.2Br ( = 5, 6, 8)/-Propanol/Cyclohexane.

The present study demonstrates how the different states of solubilized water viz. quaternary ammonium headgroup-bound, bulklike, counterion-bound, and free water in reverse micelles of a series of cationic gemini surfactants, water/12--12 ( = 5, 6, 8).2Br/-propanol/cyclohexane, control the solvation dynamics and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 490 (C-490) and microenvironment of the reverse micelles.

Biocompatible carbon dots derived from κ-carrageenan and phenyl boronic acid for dual modality sensing platform of sugar and its anti-diabetic drug release behavior.

Detection of sugar by enzymatic assay has been suffering from costly, time-taking, instable and denaturation of glucose oxidase. Recently, chemosensors that have affinity towards boronate became the hot topic in the domain of monosaccharide detection. In this work, a novel strategy was addressed to fabricate carbon dots (C-dots) from linear sulfated polysaccharides κ- carrageenan and phenyl boronic acid for nonenzymatic monosaccharide (glucose) detection.

Dual doped biocompatible multicolor luminescent carbon dots for bio labeling, UV-active marker and fluorescent polymer composite.

We report on metal-non-metal doped carbon dots with very high photoluminescent properties in solution. Magnesium doping to tamarind extract associated with nitrogen-doping is for the first time reported here which also produce very high quantum yield. Our aim is to develop such dual doped carbon dots which can also serve living cell imaging with easy permeation towards cells and show non-cytotoxic attributes.

Zinc and nitrogen ornamented bluish white luminescent carbon dots for engrossing bacteriostatic activity and Fenton based bio-sensor.

Carbon dots with heteroatom co-doping associated with consummate luminescence features are of acute interest in diverse applications such as biomolecule markers, chemical sensing, photovoltaic, and trace element detection. Herein, we demonstrate a straightforward, highly efficient hydrothermal dehydration technique to synthesize zinc and nitrogen co-doped multifunctional carbon dots (N, Zn-CDs) with superior quantum yield (50.8%).

AgS/Ag Heterostructure: A Promising Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Different metal chalcogenides, being a potential candidate for hydrogen evolution catalysts, have attracted enormous attention in the field of water splitting. In the present study, AgS/Ag is revealed as an efficient catalyst for hydrogen evolution. When a sacrificial template of the CuS nanostructure is used, AgS/Ag heterostructures are synthesized following a simple wet-chemical technique.

Synthesis of Monometallic (Au and Pd) and Bimetallic (AuPd) Nanoparticles Using Carbon Nitride (CN) Quantum Dots via the Photochemical Route for Nitrophenol Reduction.

In this study, we report the synthesis of monometallic (Au and Pd) and bimetallic (AuPd) nanoparticles (NPs) using graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) quantum dots (QDs) and photochemical routes. Eliminating the necessity of any extra stabilizer or reducing agent, the photochemical reactions have been carried out using a UV light source of 365 nm where CN QD itself functions as a suitable stabilizer as well as a reducing agent. The g-CN QDs are excited upon irradiation with UV light and produce photogenerated electrons, which further facilitate the reduction of metal ions.

Growth and characterization of epitaxially stabilized ceria(001) nanostructures on Ru(0001).

We have studied (001) surface terminated cerium oxide nanoparticles grown on a ruthenium substrate using physical vapor deposition. Their morphology, shape, crystal structure, and chemical state are determined by low-energy electron microscopy and micro-diffraction, scanning probe microscopy, and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Square islands are identified as CeO2 nanocrystals exhibiting a (001) oriented top facet of varying size; they have a height of about 7 to 10 nm and a side length between about 50 and 500 nm, and are terminated with a p(2 × 2) surface reconstruction.

Study on metal nanoparticles synthesis and orientation of gemini surfactant molecules used as stabilizer.

In the present study, we report the synthesis of gold (Au), silver (Ag), and gold-silver alloy (Au-Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) by seed-mediated method using gemini surfactant, containing diethyl ether spacer group as a stabilizer. As-synthesized NPs are found very much stable and have been characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and zeta potential techniques. The orientation of gemini surfactant molecules surrounding the metal NPs has been investigated exploiting twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) fluorescence properties of a probe 4-(N,N-dimethylamino) cinnamaldehyde (DMACA).

Mono- and multi-layer adsorption of an ionic liquid on Au(110).

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), work function measurements, low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) have been used to study the adsorption and desorption of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, [C(2)C(1)Im][Tf(2)N], on the (1×2) clean surface reconstruction of Au(110) in the temperature range 100-674 K. The ionic liquid adsorbed without decomposition, and desorbed without leaving any residue on the surface. For adsorption at room temperature a monolayer of strongly bound ionic liquid was formed with four interface states visible in UP spectra.

Toggling bistable atoms via mechanical switching of bond angle.

We reversibly switch the state of a bistable atom by direct mechanical manipulation of bond angle using a dynamic force microscope. Individual buckled dimers at the Si(100) surface are flipped via the formation of a single covalent bond, actuating the smallest conceivable in-plane toggle switch (two atoms) via chemical force alone. The response of a given dimer to a flip event depends critically on both the local and nonlocal environment of the target atom-an important consideration for future atomic scale fabrication strategies.

Evolution of Ge nanoislands on Si(110)-'16 x 2' surface under thermal annealing studied using STM.

The initial nucleation of Ge nanoclusters on Si(110) at room temperature (RT), annealing-induced surface roughening and the evolution of three-dimensional Ge nanoislands have been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). A few monolayers (ML) of Ge deposited at room temperature lead to the formation of Ge clusters which are homogeneously distributed across the surface. The stripe-like patterns, characteristic of the Si(110)-'16 x 2' surface reconstruction are also retained.