Enhancement of Sensitivity of the Solution-Phase Localized Surface Plasmon by a Nanostructured Substrate

We describe a simple and inexpensive method to enhance the sensitivity or improve the detection limit of solution-phase localized surface plasmon (LSPR) sensors of metallic nanoparticles. The substrate surface contains metallic nanostructures which are replicated from DVD disks via the standard soft lithography. By mixing BSA molecules with nanoparticle solution, we demonstrate that the wavelength shift due to the absorption of BSA molecules on nanoparticle surfaces is amplified by more than an order of magnitude in comparison to that over a smooth flat surface.

Experimental study on the performance of foamy oil flow under different solution gas–oil ratios

The lower limit of solution gas–oil ratio for foamy oil from Carabobo reservoir was determined by sandpack and visualization experiments, and explained by interfacial tension, interfacial dilational viscoelasticity, oil viscosity and elastic energy.

Analytical Methods for Transport Equations in Similarity Form

We present a novel approach for deriving analytical solutions to transport equations expressed in similarity variables. We apply a fixed-point iteration procedure to these transformed equations by formally solving for the highest derivative term and, from this (via requirements for convergence given by the contraction mapping principle), deduce a range of values for the outer limit of solution domain, for which the fixed-point iteration gives a converged solution.