Stabilization of tetragonal phase of nanostructured Fex/ZrO2 system (0 ≤ x ≤ 25) prepared by modified sol-gel method

In the present study, Fex/ZrO2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 25) nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile modified Sol-Gel method. Stabilization of the tetragonal phase of ZrO2 is studied as a function of both the Fe incorporation ratios and thermal treatment. The Fe incorporation ratios are tested up to the extreme just before FeO and Fe2O3 phases are formed separately. The prepared Fex/ZrO2 nanoparticles XRD analysis depicts the formation of zirconium oxide at different Fe ratios in the nanoscale with an excellent degree of crystallinity in the tetragonal phase. The effect of thermal treatment on stabilizing the tetragonal phase of Fex/ZrO2 nanoparticles is extensively studied. The phase transition to the monoclinic phase is determined as function of Fe incorporation ratios and annealing temperatures. The optical absorbance spectra showed that the optical band gap decreased with increasing Fe ratios without the formation of doping bands which confirms the formation of Fex/ZrO2 single matrix.

Surface and dynamical properties of GeI2

GeI2 is an interesting two-dimensional (2D) wide-band gap semiconductor because of diminished edge scattering due to an absence of dangling bonds. Angle-resolved x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (ARXPS) indicates a germanium rich surface, and a surface to bulk core-level shift of 1.8 eV in binding energy, between the surface and bulk components of the Ge 2p3/2 core-level, making clear that the surface is different from the bulk. Temperature dependent studies indicate an effective Debye temperature (θD ) of 186 ± 18 K for the germanium x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) feature associated with the surface. These measurements also suggest an unusually high effective Debye temperature for iodine (587 ± 31 K), implying that iodine is present in the bulk of the material, and not the surface. From optical absorbance, GeI2 is seen to have an indirect (direct) optical band gap of 2.60 (2.8) ± 0.02 (0.1) eV, consistent with the expectations. Temperature dependent magnetometry indicates that GeI2 is moment paramagnetic at low temperatures (close to 4 K) and shows a diminishing saturation moment at high temperatures (close to 300 K and above).

Efficiency of Photoconductive Terahertz Generation in Nitrogen-Doped Diamonds

The efficiency of the generation of terahertz radiation from nitrogen-doped (∼0.1–100 ppm) diamonds was investigated. The synthetic polycrystalline and monocrystalline diamond substrates were pumped by a 400 nm femtosecond laser and tested for the photoconductive emitter operation. The dependency of the emitted THz power on the intensity of the optical excitation was measured. The nitrogen concentrations of the diamonds involved were measured from the optical absorbance, which was found to crucially depend on the synthesis technique. The observed correlation between the doping level and the level of the performance of diamond-based antennas demonstrates the prospects of doped diamond as a material for highly efficient large-aperture photoconductive antennas.

Measuring uncertainty assessment of an experimental device used to determine the thermo-optico-physical properties of translucent construction materials

Studying thermo-optical (i.e., thermal conductivity, optical re ectance, optical transmittance, and optical absorbance) properties of construction materials is essential for improving human comfort within a building. Typically, these properties are measured independently using specific equipment. The emerging of new innovative construction structures, such as translucent materials, makes the experimental characterization of these properties more challenging to observe. Recently, a new device, called MultiCoefMeter (McM), which rapidly and simultaneously measures all these properties, has been created. The study described in this article covers the calculation technique for estimating measurement uncertainties linked to morphology, the component parts, and the physical formula of the experimental apparatus. The measurement uncertainty estimates are obtained from knowledge of the color of the system's walls, placement, and form of the McM components, placement of measurement sensors, and the application of measurement collection equipment. Therefore, a thorough calculation analysis was performed on the sub-systems. Calculations are divided between two categories: those based on mathematical tools and information given by the makers, and those based on experimental observations obtained during reliability testing. These uncertainties originate from statistical tools, geometric tolerance of the system, comparison with standards, and the error propagation laws of the physical models link with the device. All these uncertainties were summed up and given a global value, no more than 5%, conforming to the ASTM standard (E1225). Finally, a general method to quantify measurement uncertainty value of any experimental device was proposed.

Laser Actuated Microgripper Using Optimized Chevron-Shaped Actuator

In this paper, we propose a laser actuated microgripper that can be activated remotely for micromanipulation applications. The gripper is based on an optothermally actuated polymeric chevron-shaped structure coated with optimized metallic layers to enhance its optical absorbance. Gold is used as a metallic layer due to its good absorption of visible light. The thermal deformation of the chevron-shaped actuator with metallic layers is first modeled to identify the parameters affecting its behavior. Then, an optimal thickness of the metallic layers that allows the largest possible deformation is obtained and compared with simulation results. Next, microgrippers are fabricated using conventional photolithography and metal deposition techniques for further characterization. The experiments show that the microgripper can realize an opening of 40 µm, a response time of 60 ms, and a generated force in the order of hundreds of µN. Finally, a pick-and-place experiment of 120 µm microbeads is conducted to confirm the performance of the microgripper. The remote actuation and the simple fabrication and actuation of the proposed microgripper makes it a highly promising candidate to be utilized as a mobile microrobot for lab-on-chip applications.

Effects of Silver Doping in the Structural and Optical Properties of Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Synthesized via Chemical Precipitation Method

Hematite (α-Fe2O3) is a low-cost n-type semiconductor with significant absorption of visible light owing to its low bandgap energy of 2.1 eV. The wide applications of hematite in renewable energy and environmental remediation continuously entice more studies. However, the low absorbance of solar energy in the UV-range significantly limits the efficiency of many photocatalytic materials. In this study, we tried to dope α-Fe2O3 with silver via chemical precipitation method to lower the bandgap energy and widen its absorbance. The effects of doping hematite with Ag on the structure, morphology, elemental composition, and optical absorbance were determined by characterizing the samples via X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and UV-Vis spectroscopy, respectively. It was observed from the XRD patterns that the α-Fe2O3 crystallizes in hexagonal structure with lattice parameters a = 5.0380 Å and c = 13.7720 Å for the pure α-Fe2O3. Doping with 0.1M and 0.2M AgNO3 leads to a greater value of the lattice parameters indicating successful doping. SEM images show that the hematite formed was composed of particles with irregular shapes that have sizes in the range 0.865-0.883 μm. Excess silver particles were deposited on the surface of hematite. UV-Vis spectra show that there is a red-shift in the absorption band of the Ag-doped hematite. A notable decrease in the bandgap energy of the undoped α-Fe2O3 was observed from ~2.2eV to ~2.0eV with the increase in the amount of the dopant in the hematite as determined using Tauc’s plot.

Non-enzymatic degradation of carbon nanotubes in the presence of bacterial enzymes

The enzymatic degradation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by several enzymes has been reported. However, because organisms that possess these enzymes have limited habitats and distribution areas, it is unclear whether CNTs can be degraded in the general environment. The investigation of CNTs degradation by enzymes derived from bacteria, which inhabit a wide range of environments and have diverse metabolic systems, is inevitable for predicting the environmental fate of CNTs. In this study, the degradation of oxidized (carboxylated) single-walled CNTs (O-SWCNTs) by mt2DyP, a dye-decolorizing peroxidase of Pseudomonas putida mt-2, a common soil bacterium, was investigated. Suspensions of O-SWCNTs gradually became transparent and their optical absorbance decreased during 30 d of incubation in the presence of mt2DyP produced by a recombinant Brevibacillus choshinensis strain and its substrate, H2O2. The degradation was enhanced by higher H2O2 concentrations. The measurement of Raman spectra revealed the complete degradation of O-SWCNTs after 30 d of incubation with 100 mM H2O2. However, surprisingly, this heme enzyme was inactivated within 60 min of the incubation with O-SWCNTs, which suggested that the degradation of O-SWCNTs was not catalyzed by the enzyme. The inactivation of mt2DyP was accompanied by the release of iron, which suggested that the degradation of the O-SWCNTs was owing to the Fenton reaction caused by the iron released from mt2DyP and the supplied H2O2. A chelating agent, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, significantly inhibited the O-SWCNTs degradation, proving the degradation by the Fenton reaction. These phenomena were also observed with another heme enzyme, Cytochrome P450. These results are important for predicting the fate of CNTs in a wide range of environments, as heme enzymes are secreted by many bacteria in the environment. This study also shows that the effect of the Fenton reaction should be considered to validate the degradation of CNTs by heme enzymes.

Colorimetric Detection of Chromium(VI) Ions in Water Using Unfolded-Fullerene Carbon Nanoparticles

Water pollution caused by hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) ions represents a serious hazard for human health due to the high systemic toxicity and carcinogenic nature of this metal species. The optical sensing of Cr(VI) through specifically engineered nanomaterials has recently emerged as a versatile strategy for the application to easy-to-use and cheap monitoring devices. In this study, a one-pot oxidative method was developed for the cage opening of C60 fullerene and the synthesis of stable suspensions of N-doped carbon dots in water–THF solutions (N-CDs-W-THF). The N-CDs-W-THF selectively showed variations of optical absorbance in the presence of Cr(VI) ions in water through the arising of a distinct absorption band peaking at 550 nm, i.e., in the transparency region of pristine material. Absorbance increased linearly, with the ion concentration in the range 1–100 µM, thus enabling visual and ratiometric determination with a limit of detection (LOD) of 300 nM. Selectivity and possible interference effects were tested over the 11 other most common heavy metal ions. The sensing process occurred without the need for any other reactant or treatment at neutral pH and within 1 min after the addition of chromium ions, both in deionized and in real water samples.