Single Molecule Techniques Can Distinguish the Photophysical Processes Governing Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence

<p>Plasmonic metal nanoparticles can impact the behaviour of organic molecules in a number of ways, including enhancing or quenching fluorescence. Only through a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental photophysical processes regulating nano-molecular interactions can these effects be controlled, and exploited to the fullest extent possible. Metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) is governed by two underlying processes, increased rate of fluorophore excitation and increased fluorophore emission, the balance between which has implications for optimizing hybrid nanoparticle-molecular systems for various applications. We report groundbreaking work on the use of single molecule fluorescence microscopy to distinguish between the two mechanistic components of MEF, in a model system consisting of two analogous boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorophores and triangular silver nanoparticles (AgNP). We demonstrate that the increased excitation MEF mechanism occurs to approximately the same extent for both dyes, but that the BODIPY with the higher quantum yield of fluorescence experiences a greater degree of MEF via the increased fluorophore emission mechanism, and higher overall enhancement, as a result of its superior ability to undergo near-field interactions with AgNP. We foresee that this knowledge and methodology will be used to tailor MEF to meet the needs of different applications, such as those requiring maximum enhancement of fluorescence intensity or instead prioritizing excited-state photochemistry. </p>

Single Molecule Techniques Can Distinguish the Photophysical Processes Governing Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence

<p>Plasmonic metal nanoparticles can impact the behaviour of organic molecules in a number of ways, including enhancing or quenching fluorescence. Only through a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental photophysical processes regulating nano-molecular interactions can these effects be controlled, and exploited to the fullest extent possible. Metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) is governed by two underlying processes, increased rate of fluorophore excitation and increased fluorophore emission, the balance between which has implications for optimizing hybrid nanoparticle-molecular systems for various applications. We report groundbreaking work on the use of single molecule fluorescence microscopy to distinguish between the two mechanistic components of MEF, in a model system consisting of two analogous boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorophores and triangular silver nanoparticles (AgNP). We demonstrate that the increased excitation MEF mechanism occurs to approximately the same extent for both dyes, but that the BODIPY with the higher quantum yield of fluorescence experiences a greater degree of MEF via the increased fluorophore emission mechanism, and higher overall enhancement, as a result of its superior ability to undergo near-field interactions with AgNP. We foresee that this knowledge and methodology will be used to tailor MEF to meet the needs of different applications, such as those requiring maximum enhancement of fluorescence intensity or instead prioritizing excited-state photochemistry. </p>

Optimization Of Thermal Module Solar Photovoltaic Using CFD-Simulation

Photovoltaic panels can directly generate electricity by converting solar energy, but the panels temperature reduce the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. The photovoltaic thermal PVT system technology is used to improve the electrical performance. In this study, the daily and monthly global solar radiation on a horizontal surface for Iraq have been measured and presented then used with PVT water system. ANSYS software is used to simulate the water temperature differences behavior and measure the surface temperature of PVT model using the collected irradiation with the mass flow rate at 0.01 and 0.02 kg per second. The CFID results were validated with previous studies and observed a good agreement. The simulation tests apply a constant input temperature to the PVT system in all the yearly weather conditions in order to enhance the surface temperature. The results observe the PVT thermal efficiency behavior and show the maximum enhancement which is reached to 61% with the mass flowrate 0.03 kg per second and constant low input temperature.

Effect of Pin-fins On Jet Impingement Heat Transfer Over a Rotating Disk

Many engineering applications consist of rotating components which experience high heat load. For instance, applications like the gas turbine engine consist of rotating disks and the study of heat transfer over such rotating surfaces is of particular interest. In the case of gas turbines, the disk also needs to be protected from the ingress of hot turbine gases caused by the low pressure region created due to the radially outward pumping of fluid close to the rotating surface. Present experimental study investigates the effects of introducing pin-fins on heat transfer over surface of a rotating gas turbine disk. Experiments were conducted at rotational Reynolds numbers (ReR) of 5487 - 12803 and jet Reynolds numbers (Re) of 5000 - 18000, nozzle to target spacing (z/d = 2 - 6), impingement eccentricities (e = 0 -0.67), angles of impingement (0°-20°), and the pin fin height (Hf = 3.05mm - 19.05mm). Steady state temperature measurements were taken using thermocouples embedded in the disk, and area average Nusselt number (Nu) was calculated. The results have been compared with those for a smooth aluminum disk. Nu was significantly enhanced by the presence of pin-fins. The enhancement was higher for lower Re and the maximum enhancement was found to be 3.9 times that of a smooth disk for Re = 5000. Qualitative visualization of flow field has been performed for smooth and the pin-fin case using the commercial simulation package Ansys Fluent to further understand the flow features that result in the enhancement.

Augmentation of Heat Transfer in a Circular Channel with Inline and Staggered Baffles

This numerical investigation presents the effects of the position of baffles in the shape of a circle’s segment placed inside a circular channel to improve the thermal and flow performance of a solar air heater. Three different baffles’ positions with Reynolds number varying between 10,000 to 50,000 were investigated computationally. The k-omega SST model was used for solving the governing equations. Air was taken as the working fluid. Three pitch ratios (Y = 3, 4, and 5) were considered, while the height of the baffles remained fixed. The result showed an enhancement in Nusselt number, friction factor, j-factor, and thermal performance factor. Staggered exit-length baffles showed maximum enhancement in heat transfer and pressure drop, while inline inlet-length baffles showed the least enhancement. For a pitch ratio of Y = 3.0, the enhancement in all parameters was the highest, while for Y = 5.0, the enhancement in all parameters was the least. The highest thermal performance factor of 1.6 was found for SEL at Y = 3.0.

Effect of flat wall length on decay and shock structure of a supersonic square wall jet

Experiments were conducted to find the effect of wall length on the decay behaviour and shock structure of a supersonic wall jet issuing from c-d nozzle of the square-shaped exit. A straight flat wall of width same as the side length of the square was attached to the lip of the nozzle such that the leading edge of the wall and the side of the square aligned properly which allowed the supersonic jet to graze past the flat wall. Experiments were conducted with five different wall lengths, that is, [Formula: see text] = 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8. Wall pressure measurements were made from leading edge to the trailing edge of the wall along its centreline. Schlieren flow visualization of the jet flow over the wall for the different wall lengths revealed the shock pattern and the effect of the wall length on the shock structure. The shock structure and jet deflection were significantly affected due to the presence of the wall. There was an upward jet deflection for [Formula: see text] up to [Formula: see text] whereas a downward jet deflection was observed for [Formula: see text]. Noticeable changes in the shock structure were observed for the wall lengths up to 2 D h. The wall length also significantly affected the jet decay characteristics and supersonic core length. Maximum enhancement in jet decay and maximum reduction in supersonic core length resulted when the wall length was [Formula: see text]. However, when the wall length was increased to [Formula: see text], there was a significant reduction in jet decay and a recovery of [Formula: see text]. Presence of wall always resulted a reduction in Lsc irrespective of wall length. The wall effect was to induce a more precipitous pressure drop closer to the nozzle exit, and a more gradual drop farther from it for [Formula: see text] > [Formula: see text].

Wear and Corrosion Behavior of nano carbide dispersed AISI304 Stainless Steel by laser surface processing

In this study, dispersion of tungsten carbide on AISI 304 stainless steel substrate has been carried out by laser melting of the sand blasted substrate using 5 kW continuous wave (CW) Nd-YAG laser (with the beam diameter of 3 mm) with an output power ranging from 1.5 - 2 kW and scan speed varying from 12 to 16 mm/s and simultaneous feeding of premixed WC+Co in the ratio of 1:4 (with a flow rate of 10 mg/s). The microstructure of the composite zone is dendritic or cellular in morphology and consists of nano-tungsten carbide (both WC and W2C) and M23C6 precipitates. There is an enhancement in hardness from 220 VHN of the as-received substrate to 290 - 400 VHN. The wear resistance is improved significantly with a maximum enhancement observed in the sample processed with an applied power of 2 kW and a scan speed of 12 mm/s. The corrosion rate in a 3.56 wt.% NaCl solution is significantly reduced due to laser processing. However, there is a deterioration of pitting corrosion resistance (in terms of shifting of Epit towards active direction) for all the samples, except for the sample processed with an applied power of 2 kW and a scan speed of 12 mm/s.

Positive and negative influences of typhoons on tropospheric ozone over southern China

Based on an ensemble of 17 typhoons that made landfall between 2014 and 2018, we investigate the positive and negative influences of typhoons on tropospheric ozone over southern China. With respect to the proximity of typhoon centres and the typhoon developmental stages, we find that surface ozone is enhanced when typhoons are 400–1500 km away during the initial stages of development (e.g. from 1 d before to 1 d after typhoon genesis). The positive ozone anomalies reach 10–20 ppbv above the background ozone level on average. The maximum enhancement of surface ozone appears at a radial distance of 1100–1300 km from the typhoon centre during these initial stages. As the typhoons approach southern China, the influences of these systems switch to reducing ozone and, hence, lead to negative ozone anomalies of 6–9 ppbv. Exploring the linkages between ozone variations and typhoon-induced meteorological evolution, we find that increasing temperature and weak winds in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and dominating downward motions promote ozone production and accumulation over the outskirts of typhoons during typhoon initial stages, whereas deteriorating weather, accompanied by dropping temperature, wind gales and convective activity, reduces the production and accumulation of surface ozone when typhoons are making landfall. We further examine the impacts of typhoons on tropospheric ozone profiles vertically, especially the influences of typhoon-induced stratospheric intrusions on lower troposphere and surface ozone. Based on temporally dense ozone profile observations, we find two high-ozone regions, located in the ABL and the middle to upper troposphere respectively, during different typhoon stages. On average, the high-ozone region in the ABL has a maximum ozone enhancement of 10–12 ppbv at 1–1.5 km altitude during the initial typhoon stages. In the high-ozone region in the middle to upper troposphere, ozone enhancement persists over a longer period with a maximum ozone enhancement of ∼ 10 ppbv at 7–8 km altitude shortly after typhoon genesis; this value increases to ∼ 30 ppbv near 12 km altitude when typhoons reach their maximum intensity. When typhoons make landfall, negative ozone anomalies appear and extend upward with a maximum ozone reduction of 14–18 ppbv at 5 km altitude and 20–25 ppbv at 11 km altitude. Although the overall tropospheric ozone is usually reduced during typhoon landfall, we find that five of eight typhoon samples induced ozone-rich air with a stratospheric origin above 4 km altitude; moreover, in three typhoon cases, the ozone-rich air intrusions can sink to the ABL. This suggests that the typhoon-induced stratospheric intrusions play an important role in surface ozone enhancement.

AC Electric-Field Assistant Architecting Ordered Network of Ni@PS Microspheres in Epoxy Resin to Enhance Conductivity

By using the low loading of the conductor filler to achieve high conductivity is a challenge associated with electrically conductive adhesion. In this study, we show an assembling of nickel-coated polystyrene (Ni@PS) microspheres into 3-dimensional network within the epoxy resin with the assistance of an electric field. The morphology evolution of the microspheres was observed with optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The response speed of Ni@PS microsphere to the electric field were investigated by measuring the viscosity and shear stress variation of the suspension at a low shear rate with an electrorheological instrument. The SEM results revealed that the Ni@PS microspheres aligned into a pearl-alike structure. The AC impedance spectroscopy confirmed that the conductivity of this pearl-alike alignment was significantly enhanced when compared to the pristine one. The maximum enhancement in conductivity is achieved at 15 wt. % of Ni@PS microspheres with the aligned composites about 3 orders of magnitude as much as unaligned one, typically from ~10−5 S/m to ~10−2 S/m.

Distance-Dependent Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Enhancement on Nanoporous Gold

Fluorescence resonance energy transfers (FRET) between cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) on nanoporous gold (NPG) are systematically investigated by controlling the distance between NPG and fluorescent proteins with polyelectrolyte multilayers. The FRET between CFP and YFP is significantly enhanced by NPG, and the maximum enhancement is related to both ligament size of NPG and the distance between NPG and proteins. With the optimized distance, 18-fold FRET enhancement was obtained on NPG compared to that on glass, and the conversion efficiency is about 90%. The potential to tune the characteristic energy transfer distance has implications for applications in nanophotonic devices and provides a possible way to design sensors and light energy converters.