Heating of three-layer solid aerosol particles by laser radiation

The heating of lidar-irradiated multilayer particles is analyzed theoretically and numerically by solution of the heat conduction equation. The internal intensity and temperature distributions are presented for particles composed of air, quartz, and carbon. It is shown that the heating times of such particles substantially depend on particle radii, layer position, and shell thickness. In particular, the decrease in thickness of the surface carbon layer can result in a reduction of the heating time of multilayer particles.     

Ferromagnetic resonance in nanomagnetic metal core and noble metal shell systems

The change in the line widths in the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra of Co and Ni nanoparticles upon shell formation with noble metals like gold or silver are described. The Ni(core)Ag(shell), Co(core)Ag(shell), and CO(core)Au(shell) nanoparticles were prepared by a simple transmetallation reaction between the Co and Ni nanoparticles and the Ag+ or AuCl4- ions. It is revealed that the FMR line width decreases upon Ag shell formation whereas it increases upon core-shell composite formation with Au. Several probable explanations such as the differences in size distributions before and after the reaction or the changes occurring in shape anisotropy of the particles due to the shell formation or the different extents of electronic interaction between the core and shell materials have been offered for this observation.     

Bacterial Killing by Light‐Triggered Release of Silver from Biomimetic Metal Nanorods

Illumination of noble metal nanoparticles at the plasmon resonance causes substantial heat generation, and the transient and highly localized temperature increases that result from this energy conversion can be exploited for photothermal therapy by plasmonically heating gold nanorods (NRs) bound to cell surfaces. Here, plasmonic heating is used for the first time to locally release silver from gold core/silver shell (Au@Ag) NRs targeted to bacterial cell walls. A novel biomimetic method of preparing Au@Ag core–shell NRs is employed, involving deposition of a thin organic polydopamine (PD) primer onto Au NR surfaces, followed by spontaneous electroless silver metallization, and conjugation of antibacterial antibodies and passivating polymers for targeting to gram‐negative and gram‐positive bacteria. Dramatic cytotoxicity of S. epidermidis and E. coli cells targeted with Au@Ag NRs is observed upon exposure to light as a result of the combined antibacterial effects of plasmonic heating and silver release. The antibacterial effect is much greater than with either plasmonic heating or silver alone, implying a strong therapeutic synergy between cell‐targeted plasmonic heating and the associated silver release upon irradiation. The findings suggest a potential antibacterial use of Au@Ag NRs when coupled with light irradiation, which has not been previously described.     

Highly monodisperse core-shell particles created by solid-state reactions

The size distribution of particles, which is essential for many properties of nanomaterials, is equally important for the mechanical behaviour of the class of alloys whose strength derives from a dispersion of nanoscale precipitates. However, particle size distributions formed by solid-state precipitation are generally not well controlled. Here we demonstrate, through the example of core-shell precipitates in Al-Sc-Li alloys, an approach to forming highly monodisperse particle size distributions by simple solid-state reactions. The approach involves the use of a two-step heat treatment, whereby the core formed at high temperature provides a template for growth of the shell at lower temperature. If the core is allowed to grow to a sufficient size, the shell develops in a 'size focusing' regime, where smaller particles grow faster than larger ones. These results suggest strategies for manipulating precipitate size distributions in similar systems through simple variations in thermal treatments.     

Direct Hydrothermal Synthesis of Carbonaceous Silver Nanocables for Electrocatalytic Applications

This study demonstrates a facile but efficient hydrothermal method for the direct synthesis of both carbonaceous silver (Ag@C core–shell) nanocables and carbonaceous nanotubes under mild conditions (<180 °C). The carbonaceous tubes can be formed by removal of the silver cores via an etching process under temperature control (60–140 °C). The structure and composition are characterized using various advanced microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The pertinent variables such as temperature, reaction time, and surfactants that can affect the formation and growth of the nanocables and nanotubes are investigated and optimized. It is found that cetyltrimethylammonium bromide plays multiple roles in the formation of Ag@C nanocables and carbonaceous nanotubes including: a shape controller for metallic Ag wires and Ag@C cables, a source of Br^? ions to form insoluble AgBr and then Ag crystals, an etching agent of silver cores to form carbonaceous tubes, and an inducer to refill silver particles into the carbonaceous tubes to form core–shell structures. The formation mechanism of carbonaceous silver nanostructures depending upon temperature is also discussed. Finally, the electrocatalytic performance of the as‐prepared Ag@C nanocables is assessed for the oxidation reduction reaction and found to be very active but much less costly than the commonly used platinum catalysts. The findings should be useful for designing and constructing carbonaceous‐metal nanostructures with potential applications in conductive materials, catalysts, and biosensors.     

Synthesis,characterization and bactericidal activity of silica/silver core–shell nanoparticles

Silica/silver core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by coating silver NPs on silica core particles (size ~300 ± 10 nm) via electro less reduction method. The core–shell NPs were characterized for their structural, morphological, compositional and optical behavior using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and UV–Visible spectroscopy, respectively. The size (16–35 nm) and loaded amount of silver NPs on the silica core were found to be dependent upon reaction time and activation method of silica. The bactericidal activity of the NPs was tested by broth micro dilution method against both Bacillus subtilis (gram positive) and Escherichia coli ATCC25922 (gram negative) bacterium. The bactericidal activity of silica/silver core–shell NPS is more against E. coli ATCC25922, when compared to B. subtilis. The minimal inhibitory concentration of the core–shell NPs ranged from 7.8 to 250 μg/mL and is found to be dependent upon the amount of silver on silica, the core. These results suggest that silica/silver core–shell NPs can be utilized as a strong substitutional candidate to control pathogenic bacterium, which are otherwise resistant to antibiotics, making them applicable in diverse medical devices.     

Heating performance enhancement of a CO2 heat pump system recovering stack exhaust thermal energy in fuel cell vehicles

A CO₂ heat pump system using recovered heat from the stack coolant was provided for use in fuel cell vehicles, where the high temperature heat source like in internal combustion engine vehicles is not available. The refrigerant loop consists of an electric drive compressor, a cabin heater, an outdoor evaporator, an internal heat exchanger, an expansion valve and an accumulator. The performance characteristics of the heat pump system were investigated and analyzed by experiments. The results of heating experiments were discussed for the purpose of the development and efficiency improvement of a CO₂ heat pump system, when recovering stack exhaust heat in fuel cell vehicles. A heater core using stack coolant was placed upstream of a cabin heater to preheat incoming air to the cabin heater. The performance of the heat pump system with heater core was compared with that of the conventional heating system with heater core and that of the heat pump system without heater core, and the heat pump system with heater core showed the best performance of the selected heating systems. Furthermore, the coolant to air heat pump system with heater core showed a significantly better performance than the air to air heat pump system with heater core.     

An inverse heat conduction problem of estimating the multiple heat sources for mould heating system of the injection machine

Presented in this article is a research on the estimation of multiple heat sources for the mould heating system of the injection machine. Firstly, we studied the heat transfer mechanism and established a coupling mathematical model of the internal temperature fields of BMC curing reaction, and controllable external temperature fields for the mould heating system are established. Then, we derived an optimisation algorithm of multisource inverse heat conduction, employing the linear heat conduction superposition principle along with the square norm. An experiment was designed to measure the temperature field of the mould, which served as the input data of the inversion algorithm. However, there were two problems with the measured temperature field: low heating efficiency and uneven temperature distributions. Realising that, the heating process was improved; and based on that, the heat source strength function of the mould heating system was inversed. We further carried out a numerical simulation to verify the estimation results, which showed that both the heating efficiency and the temperature distributions of the mould temperature filed were significantly improved and they had met the industry requirements. Finally, we performed a separate experiment to measure the mould temperature field. Our experimental data agree well with the simulation, indicating the proposed inversion method was reliable and stable.     

Reversible shape transition: Plasmonic nanorods in elastic nanocontainers

We demonstrate the reversible rod-to-sphere shape transition of gold/mesoporous silica core/shell nanorods, where the shell acts as an elastic nanocontainer during the shape change. It is shown, that elongated core/shell nanorods are transformed into spherical core/shell particles at 300 °C. The anisometric shape of the composite particles can be recovered upon in-situ seeded growth of the gold core. The mesoporous silica shell acts as a nanoscale confinement, enabling control over the growth procedure during the chemical reaction. The shell of the particles was found to be elastic; it shows conformal shape-change with the core material during the heating and the subsequent seeded growth process. The effect of the reaction conditions during the seeded growth on the resulting particle morphology was also investigated. It is demonstrated, that depending on the growth conditions, core/shell nanorods or larger core/shell nanospheres can be obtained. The shape transformation cycle can be repeated for the same system several times, where the break-up of the confining shell represents the physical limit of the process.     

Electrostatic aggregation and formation of core-shell suprastructures in binary mixtures of charged metal nanoparticles

Electrostatic aggregation of oppositely charged silver and gold nanoparticles leads to the formation of core-shell clusters in which the shell is formed by the nanoparticles, which are in excess. Arguments based on Debye screening of interactions between like-charged particles help explain why these clusters are stable despite possessing net electric charge. The core-shell aggregates exhibit unusual optical properties with the resonance absorption of the shell particles enhanced by the particles in the core and that of the core suppressed by the shell. Experimental UV-vis absorption spectra are faithfully reproduced by Mie theory. The modeling allows for estimation of the numbers of particles forming the shell and of the shell's effective thickness. These theoretical predictions are substantiated by experiments using nanoparticles covered with different combinations of charged groups and performed at different values of pH.     

The effective thermoelectric properties of core–shell composites

Thermoelectric materials are capable of converting heat directly into electricity and vice versa, and they have been explored for both waste heat recovery and thermal management. In this work, we analyze axially symmetric thermoelectric problems, motivated by energy harvesting using waste heat from an automobile exhaust pipe. Thermoelectric field distributions in both homogeneous shell and core–shell composites are solved, and the effective thermoelectric properties of the core–shell composites are analyzed. Numerical results show that higher thermoelectric conversion efficiency can be achieved in core–shell composites, and the mechanism responsible for the enhanced conversion efficiency is also identified. The analysis thus points to a new direction in developing high-performance thermoelectric materials.     

Thermal Behavior of Perfect and Imperfect Contact Composite Slabs Under the Effect of the Hyperbolic Heat Conduction Model

This work studies the heat transfer mechanisms during rapid heating of two-layer composite thin slabs from a macroscopic point of view using the hyperbolic heat conduction model. The composite slabs consist of two thin metal layers which may be in perfect or imperfect thermal contact. The effects of parameters such as the two films' thickness ratio, thermal conductivity ratio, heat capacity ratio, thermal relaxation time, and interfacial heat transfer coefficient on the thermal behavior of the composite slabs are investigated.     

Calculation of the nonstationary temperature field in a two-layer plate when heated by a moving source in the presence of inhomogeneities on the contact surface of the layers

The nonstationary two-dimensional problem of the theory of heat conduction in a two-layer plate with a separated section is solved in the case of heating one of the surfaces by a normally distributed source.Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 721–726, October, 1976.     

Temperature distribution in a repeatedly heated polymer

The conduction problem is presented and solved for a hollow two-layer cylinder having the first layer made of a polymer; the internal boundary moves and there is repeated heating from within. Allowance is made for the heat of reaction in the first layer.Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol.18, No. 1, pp.139–145, January, 1970.     

An Electron Spin Resonance Study of Internally Sensitive Emulsions

Abstract

The election spin resonance spectra of two kinds of internally sensitive core–shell emulsions, with chemical structure imperfections and with physical lattice imperfections respectively, were studied in this paper. It was found thai both the internal sensitivity and the intensity of the rlecl rou spin resonance (ESR) signal increased with an increase of the chemical sensitization time to a maximum and then decreased. the ESR signal intensity decreased with a decrease of the core–shell ratio and an increase of the prefogging level. Different desensitizing dyes hud different effects on the internal photographic property and the intensity of the ESR signal because of their desensitizing mechanisms. The results tun be explained on the basis of the behaviour of the positive hole within the silver halide crystal.     

Preparation of silver coated nickel particles by thermal plasma with pre-treatment using ball milling

Recently, reducing noble metals in electric devices has been identified as a key factor to lower product cost. Among these, noble metal coated particles are considered an alternative with the potential to dramatically reduce the usage of noble metals. A dense coating of noble metals over all surfaces is desirable for maintaining the properties of noble metal. However, our previous research showed that coated surfaces onto which the nanoparticles were attached were non-uniform because of evaporation of the raw materials. Therefore, in this study, we improved the coverage ratio of silver coated nickel particles using thermal plasma processing followed by ball mill pre-treatment. Silver and nickel particles were mixed using a ball mill, then injected into the thermal plasma jet. The silver particles were subsequently attached onto the surface of the nickel particles through ball mill processing, after which the silver attached nickel particles were melted through thermal plasma processing to produce silver coated nickel spherical particles. The cross section of the as-prepared particles showed a dense silver shell and nickel core, while the sintered body of the as-prepared particles showed the net-like silver covering over the nickel cores. These findings suggest that attachment of silver on nickel could lead to complete silver coatings by limiting the formation of nanoparticles.     

Surface plasmon near-field resonance characteristics of silver shell nanocylinders arranged in triangular geometry

The optical near-field surface plasmon effects of a triangular system of silver nanoshell cylinders are numerically studied using the two-dimensional finite difference time domain method. The dependence of interparticle distance, shell thickness of the cylinder, dielectric constant of shell core as well as embedding medium, and orientation of the optical source plane on the plasmonic resonances of the nanocylinder shells is studied. The plasmonic resonances are found to have strong dependence on the interparticle distance. As the size of the particle is increased, the field intensity peak shows a redshift. The resonance condition varies with the dielectric constant of the environment as well as the core. In addition, the orientation of the incident source plane has a significant role in the near-field intensity distribution. Since the near-field intensity has the same trend as that of the scattering cross section, the results can be used in the design of various applications like sensing, antennas, and waveguides.     

Core and shell sizing of small silver-coated nanospheres by optical extinction spectroscopy

Silver metal nanoparticles (Nps) are extensively used in different areas of research and technology due to their interesting optical, thermal and electric properties, especially for bare core and core-shell nanostructures with sizes smaller than 10?nm. Since these properties are core-shell size-dependent, size measurement is important in manipulating their potential functionalization and applications. Bare and coated small silver Nps fabricated by physical and chemical methods present specific characteristics in their extinction spectra that are potentially useful for sizing purposes. This work presents a novel procedure to size mean core radius smaller than 10?nm and mean shell thickness of silver core-shell Nps based on a comparative study of the characteristics in their optical extinction spectra in different media as a function of core radii, shell thickness and coating refractive index. From the regularities derived from these relationships, it can be concluded that plasmon full width at half-maximum (FWHM) is sensitive to core size but not to coating thickness, while plasmon resonance wavelength (PRW) is related to shell thickness and mostly independent of core radius. These facts, which allow sizing simultaneously both mean core radius and shell thickness, can also be used to size bare silver Nps as a special case of core-shell Nps with zero shell thickness. The proposed method was applied to size experimental samples and the results show good agreement with conventional TEM microscopy.     

Electron beam initiated oxidation and coalescence of metal particles embedded in a plasma-polymer thin film matrix

Microstructural changes in plasma-polymer thin films with embedded indium or silver nanoparticles were initiated by electron beam irradiation. Oxidation of indium particles was realized by electron beam irradiation in situ with the electron microscope. By means of selected area electron diffraction it was demonstrated, that indium particles oxidize to smaller In₂O₃ crystallites. On the other hand, thermal annealing of the films results only in a formation of an indium oxide shell. At plasma-polymer films with embedded silver particles, the electron beam irradiation with a microfocus electron source results in an increase of the size of the embedded silver particles with a simultaneous decrease of the particle number (coalescence).     

SiO2／Ag核壳复合粒子的制备与表征

首次引入活性SiO2微球作为核基，采用自组装液相还原技术，定向的在核基上沉积纳米银颗粒得到SiO2／Ag核壳复合粒子；并用红外、x射线衍射、场发射扫描电镜、能谱等分析表征该核壳复合粒子的形貌与结构。结果表明：利用活性SiO2作为核基，pH值为12．4，有表面活性剂参与的条件下，通过改变银前驱体浓度，可实现表面包覆致密、银壳厚度可控的核壳复合粒子化学制备技术。