Surface Plasmon Resonance Modulation by Complexation of Platinum on the Surface of Silver Nanocubes.

The use of plasmonic particles, specifically, localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR), may lead to a significant improvement in the electrical, electrochemical, and optical properties of materials. Chemical modification of the dielectric constant near the plasmonic surface should lead to a shift of the optical resonance and, therefore, the basis for color tuning and sensing. In this research, we investigated the variation of the LSPR by modifying the chemical environment of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) through the complexation of Pt(IV) metal cations near the plasmonic surface.

Kinetics and Optimization of Hexagonal Palladium Nanosheets: Unveiling Insights into CO-Mediated Synthesis Strategies and Mechanistic Understanding.

Nanoparticles with unique shapes and structures have attracted significant attention due to their distinctive properties and potential applications, but their growth mechanism is often overlooked. Hexagonal palladium nanosheets (HPNS) were synthesized through a CO-mediated reduction approach. Herein, we investigate the kinetics of the HPNS formation and modify the experimental conditions consistently by changing the carbon monoxide (CO) precursor, temperature, and stirring speed.

The influence of estrogen deficiency on the structural and mechanical properties of rat cortical bone.

Background: Post-menopausal osteoporosis is a common health problem worldwide, most commonly caused by estrogen deficiency. Most of the information regarding the skeletal effects of this disease relates to trabecular bone, while cortical bone is less studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of estrogen deficiency on the structure and mechanical properties of cortical bone.

Vertically Aligned Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Carpet Electrodes: Highly Sensitive Interfaces for the Analysis of Serum from Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

The number of patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing worldwide. The development of noninvasive tests that are rapid, sensitive, specific, and simple would allow preventing patient discomfort, delay in diagnosis, and the follow-up of the status of the disease. Herein, we show the interest of vertically aligned nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (VA-NCNT) electrodes for the required sensitive electrochemical detection of lysozyme in serum, a protein that is up-regulated in IBD.

Hollow octahedral and cuboctahedral nanocrystals of ternary Pt-Ni-Au alloys.

Hollow particles of Pt-Ni-Au alloys have been prepared through a two-step reaction with the synthesis of NiPt octahedral and cuboctahedral templates followed by a galvanic replacement reaction by Au(iii). Metal etching presents an efficient method to yield hollow particles and investigate the Au diffusion in the metallic Pt-Ni framework through macroscopic (X-ray diffraction and SQUID magnetic measurement) and microscopic (HRTEM and STEM) measurements. The hollow particles retain the shape of the original nanocrystals.

Do we need covalent bonding of Si nanoparticles on graphene oxide for Li-ion batteries?

In this manuscript, we report our investigation of anode materials for Li-ion batteries based on silicon-graphene oxide composites. Previous reports in the literature on silicon-graphene oxide (GO) composites as anodes have shown a large discrepancy between the electrochemical properties, mainly capacity and coulombic efficiency. In our research, the surface chemistry of Si nanoparticles has been functionalized to yield a chemical bond between the Si and GO, a further annealing step yields a Si-reduced GO (Si-rGO) composite while controlled experiments have been carried on mechanical mixing of GO and Si.

Low temperature, template-free route to nickel thin films and nanowires.

In this manuscript, we report on the elaboration of nickel thin films, isolated clusters and nanowires on silicon, glass and polymers by a low temperature deposition technique. The process is based on the thermal decomposition of Ni (η(4)-C(8)H(12))(2) at temperatures as low as 80 °C, which exclusively yields metallic Ni and a volatile by-product. The low temperature of the process makes it compatible with most of the substrates, even polymers and organic layers.