scholarly journals Evolution of Ag nanostructures created from thin films: UV–vis absorption and its theoretical predictions

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 494-507
Author(s):  
Robert Kozioł ◽  
Marcin Łapiński ◽  
Paweł Syty ◽  
Damian Koszelow ◽  
Wojciech Sadowski ◽  
...  

Ag-based plasmonic nanostructures were manufactured by thermal annealing of thin metallic films. Structure and morphology were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM images show that the formation of nanostructures is influenced by the initial layer thickness as well as the temperature and the time of annealing. The Ag 3d and Ag 4d XPS spectra are characteristic of nanostructures. The quality of the nanostructures, in terms of their use as plasmonic platforms, is reflected in the UV–vis absorption spectra. The absorption spectrum is dominated by a maximum in the range of 450–500 nm associated with the plasmon resonance. As the initial layer thickness increases, an additional peak appears around 350 nm, which probably corresponds to the quadrupole resonance. For calculations leading to a better illustration of absorption, scattering and overall absorption of light in Ag nanoparticles, the Mie theory is employed. Absorbance and the distribution of the electromagnetic field around the nanostructures are calculated by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. For calculations a novel approach based on modelling the whole sample with a realistic shape of the nanoparticles, instead of full spheres, was used. This led to a very good agreement with the experiment.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakeem K. Henry ◽  
Sang Bok Lee

The PMo<sub>12</sub>-PPy heterogeneous cathode was synthesized electrochemically. In doing so, the PMo<sub>12</sub> redox-active material was impregnated throughout the conductive polymer matrix of the poly(pyrrole) nanowires. All chemicals and reagents used were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. Anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) purchased from Whatman served as the porous hard template for nanowire deposition. A thin layer of gold of approximately 200nm was sputtered onto the disordered side of the AAO membrane to serve as the current collector. Copper tape was connected to the sputtered gold for contact and the device was sealed in parafilm with heat with an exposed area of 0.32 cm<sup>2</sup> to serve as the electroactive area for deposition. All electrochemical synthesis and experiments were conducted using a Bio-Logic MPG2 potentiostat. The deposition was carried out using a 3-electrode beaker cell setup with a solution of acetonitrile containing 5mM and 14mM of the phosphomolybdic acid and pyrrole monomer, respectively. The synthesis was achieved using chronoamperometry to apply a constant voltage of 0.8V vs. Ag/AgCl (BASi) to oxidatively polymerize the pyrrole monomer to poly(pyrrole). To prevent the POM from chemically polymerizing the pyrrole, an injection method was used in which the pyrrole monomer was added to the POM solution only after the deposition voltage had already been applied. The deposition was well controlled by limiting the amount of charge transferred to 300mC. Following deposition, the AAO template was removed by soaking in 3M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for 20 minutes and rinsed several times with water. After synthesis, all cathodes underwent electrochemical testing to determine their performance using cyclic voltammetry and constant current charge-discharge cycling in 0.1 M Mg(ClO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>/PC electrolyte. The cathodes were further characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).


Separations ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Kollur Shiva Prasad ◽  
Shashanka K Prasad ◽  
Ravindra Veerapur ◽  
Ghada Lamraoui ◽  
Ashwini Prasad ◽  
...  

Herein we report the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using Withania somnifera root extract (WSE) as an effective chelating agent. The microscopic techniques viz., X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) were employed to analyze the as-obtained ZnONPs. The crystalline planes observed from the XRD pattern agrees with the hexagonal wurtzite structure of the as-prepared ZnONPs. The aggregations and agglomerations observed in the SEM images indicated that the size of the as-prepared ZnONPs was between 30 and 43 nm. The interplanar distance between the lattice fringes observed in the HRTEM image was found to be 0.253 nm, which is in good agreement with the (100) plane obtained in the XRD pattern. Furthermore, the anti-breast cancer cytotoxic evaluation was carried out using the MCF-7 cell line, and the results showed significant cytotoxic effects in a dose-dependent manner.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Kamrun Nahar Fatema ◽  
Chang-Sung Lim ◽  
Yin Liu ◽  
Kwang-Youn Cho ◽  
Chong-Hun Jung ◽  
...  

We described the novel nanocomposite of silver doped ZrO2 combined graphene-based mesoporous silica (ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2,) in bases of low-cost and self-assembly strategy. Synthesized ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2 were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). The ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2 as an enzyme-free glucose sensor active material toward coordinate electro-oxidation of glucose was considered through cyclic voltammetry in significant electrolytes, such as phosphate buffer (PBS) at pH 7.4 and commercial urine. Utilizing ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2, glucose detecting may well be finished with effective electrocatalytic performance toward organically important concentrations with the current reaction of 9.0 × 10−3 mAcm−2 and 0.05 mmol/L at the lowest potential of +0.2 V, thus fulfilling the elemental prerequisites for glucose detecting within the urine. Likewise, the ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2 electrode can be worked for glucose detecting within the interferometer substances (e.g., ascorbic corrosive, lactose, fructose, and starch) in urine at proper pH conditions. Our results highlight the potential usages for qualitative and quantitative electrochemical investigation of glucose through the ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2 sensor for glucose detecting within the urine concentration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 62-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Li ◽  
Peng Yang ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
Zhongqing Liu

Bimetallic phosphides have been attracting increasing attention due to their synergistic effect for improving the hydrogen evolution reaction as compared to monometallic phosphides. In this work, NiCoP modified hybrid electrodes were fabricated by a one-step electrodeposition process with TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) as a carrier. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to characterize the physiochemical properties of the samples. The electrochemical performance was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. We show that after incorporating Co into Ni–P, the resulting Ni x Co y P/TNAs present enhanced electrocatalytic activity due to the improved electron transfer and increased electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). In 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4 electrolyte, the Ni x Co y P/TNAs (x = 3.84, y = 0.78) demonstrated an ECSA value of 52.1 mF cm−2, which is 3.8 times that of Ni–P/TNAs (13.7 mF cm−2). In a two-electrode system with a Pt sheet as the anode, the Ni x Co y P/TNAs presented a bath voltage of 1.92 V at 100 mA cm−2, which is an improvment of 79% over that of 1.07 V at 10 mA cm−2.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1754-1767
Author(s):  
Ilka Simon ◽  
Julius Hornung ◽  
Juri Barthel ◽  
Jörg Thomas ◽  
Maik Finze ◽  
...  

NiGa is a catalyst for the semihydrogenation of alkynes. Here we show the influence of different dispersion times before microwave-induced decomposition of the precursors on the phase purity, as well as the influence of the time of microwave-induced decomposition on the crystallinity of the NiGa nanoparticles. Microwave-induced co-decomposition of all-hydrocarbon precursors [Ni(COD)2] (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) and GaCp* (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) in the ionic liquid [BMIm][NTf2] selectively yields small intermetallic Ni/Ga nanocrystals of 5 ± 1 nm as derived from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and supported by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), selected-area energy diffraction (SAED) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). NiGa@[BMIm][NTf2] catalyze the semihydrogenation of 4-octyne to 4-octene with 100% selectivity towards (E)-4-octene over five runs, but with poor conversion values. IL-free, precipitated NiGa nanoparticles achieve conversion values of over 90% and selectivity of 100% towards alkene over three runs.


1998 ◽  
Vol 533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn G. Jernigan ◽  
Conrad L. Silvestre ◽  
Mohammad Fatemi ◽  
Mark E. Twigg ◽  
Phillip E. Thompson

AbstractThe use of Sb as a surfactant in suppressing Ge segregation during SiGe alloy growth was investigated as a function of Sb surface coverage, Ge alloy concentration, and alloy thickness using xray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Unlike previous studies where Sb was found to completely quench Ge segregation into a Si capping layer, we find that Sb can not completely prevent Ge segregation while Si and Ge are being co-deposited. This results in the production of a non-square quantum well with missing Ge at the beginning and extra Ge at the end of the alloy. We also found that Sb does not relieve strain in thin films but does result in compositional or strain variations within thick alloy layers.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sada Venkateswarlu ◽  
Saravanan Govindaraju ◽  
Roopkumar Sangubotla ◽  
Jongsung Kim ◽  
Min-Ho Lee ◽  
...  

The enormous ongoing industrial development has caused serious water pollution which has become a major crisis, particularly in developing countries. Among the various water pollutants, non-biodegradable heavy metal ions are the most prevalent. Thus, trace-level detection of these metal ions using a simple technique is essential. To address this issue, we have developed a fluorescent probe of Au/C nanodots (GCNDs-gold carbon nanodots) using an eco-friendly method based on an extract from waste onion leaves (Allium cepa-red onions). The leaves are rich in many flavonoids, playing a vital role in the formation of GCNDs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Scanning transmission electron microscopy-Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) elemental mapping clearly indicated that the newly synthesized materials are approximately 2 nm in size. The resulting GCNDs exhibited a strong orange fluorescence with excitation at 380 nm and emission at 610 nm. The GCNDs were applied as a fluorescent probe for the detection of Hg2+ ions. They can detect ultra-trace concentrations of Hg2+ with a detection limit of 1.3 nM. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results facilitated the identification of a clear detection mechanism. We also used the new probe on a real river water sample. The newly developed sensor is highly stable with a strong fluorescent property and can be used for various applications such as in catalysis and biomedicine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Ferrag ◽  
Maryam Abdinejad ◽  
Kagan Kerman

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an environmentally harmful “greenhouse gas” that is present in abundant quantities in the earth’s atmosphere. Thus, the sequestration and conversion of CO2 to value-added organic chemicals is of environmental and economical importance. In this proof-of-concept study, amine groups of acrylamide compounds were found to react with CO2 under ambient conditions to form a polyacrylamide hydrogel. This composite was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI–MS), which confirmed successful synthesis and demonstrated all characteristics representative of a typical hydrogel material. Rheology analyses further proved the formation of the hydrogel, as well as its self-healing nature. The novel approach proposed in this work can potentially be used in the construction of versatile amine-based gel materials for efficient CO2 utilization applications.


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