Thin films deposition with ECR planar plasma source

The results of film deposition of pure tungsten as well as intermetallic compound of NdFeB type on various substrates using planar ECR plasma source (with multipole magnetic field) developed in our laboratory are presented. The frequency of 2.45 GHz was generated within the magnetic system by two-slot antenna. The ions of ECR argon plasma are used for target sputtering. The main plasma parameters are density 10¹⁰ cm⁻³, T_e15 eV, ions energy 20 eV, ion current density 3.5 mA/cm² at the ultimate magnetron power. Under sputtering of Nd₈Fe₈₆B₆ target the amorphous films with high adherence and thickness of 5 μm were formed on the substrate. The deposition rate of tungsten films (target biasing 900 V) was 0.59 nm/s. The fine-grained films with high adhesion were obtained. They were tested against heat loads up to 100 J/cm² produced under irradiation of coatings with plasma streams.     

Self-assembly of charged microclusters of CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanodots and nanorods into hierarchically ordered colloidal arrays

A thermodynamically driven self-organization of microclusters of semiconductor nanocrystals with a narrow size distribution into periodic two-dimensional (2D) arrays is an attractive low-cost technique for the fabrication of 2D photonic crystals. We have found that CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots or quantum rods, transferred in aqueous phase after capping with the bifunctional surface-active agent DL-cysteine, form on a poly-L-lysine coated surface homogeneously sized micro-particles, droplet-like spheroid clusters and hexagon-like colloidal crystals self-organized into millimetre-sized 2D?hexagonal assemblies. The presence of an organic molecular layer around the micro-particles prevents immediate contact between them, forming an interstitial space which may be varied in thickness by changing the origin of the molecular layer capping nanocrystals. Due to the high refractive index of CdSe and the low refractive index of the interstitial spaces, these structures are expected to have deep gaps in their photonic band, forming hierarchically ordered 2D arrays of potentially photonic materials.     

Covalently linked Au nanoparticles to a viral vector: potential for combined photothermal and gene cancer therapy

Hyperthermia can be produced by near-infrared laser irradiation of gold nanoparticles present in tumors and thus induce tumor cell killing via a bystander effect. To be clinically relevant, however, several problems still need to be resolved. In particular, selective delivery and physical targeting of gold nanoparticles to tumor cells are necessary to improve therapeutic selectivity. Considerable progress has been made with respect to retargeting adenoviral vectors for cancer gene therapy. We therefore hypothesized that covalent coupling of gold nanoparticles to retargeted adenoviral vectors would allow selective delivery of the nanoparticles to tumor cells, thus feasibilizing hyperthermia and gene therapy as a combinatorial therapeutic approach. For this, sulfo-N-hydroxysuccinimide labeled gold nanoparticles were reacted to adenoviral vectors encoding a luciferase reporter gene driven by the cytomegalovirus promoter (AdCMVLuc). We herein demonstrate that covalent coupling could be achieved, while retaining virus infectivity and ability to retarget tumor-associated antigens. These results indicate the possibility of using adenoviral vectors as carriers for gold nanoparticles.     

Quantification of four major metabolites of embryotoxic N-methyl- and N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone in human urine by cooled-injection gas chromatography and isotope dilution mass spectrometry

N-Methyl- and N-ethyl-2-pyrollidone (NMP and NEP) are frequently used industrial solvents and were shown to be embryotoxic in animal experiments. We developed a sensitive, specific, and robust analytical method based on cooled-injection (CIS) gas chromatography and isotope dilution mass spectrometry to analyze 5-hydroxy-N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone (5-HNEP) and 2-hydroxy-N-ethylsuccinimide (2-HESI), two newly identified presumed metabolites of NEP, and their corresponding methyl counterparts (5-HNMP, 2-HMSI) in human urine. The urine was spiked with deuterium-labeled analogues of these metabolites. The analytes were separated from urinary matrix by solid-phase extraction and silylated prior to quantification. Validation of this method was carried out by using both, spiked pooled urine samples and urine samples from 56 individuals of the general population with no known occupational exposure to NMP and NEP. Interday and intraday imprecision was better than 8% for all metabolites, while the limits of detection were between 5 and 20 μg/L depending on the analyte. The high sensitivity of the method enables us to quantify NMP and NEP metabolites at current environmental exposures by human biomonitoring.     

Propagation of the Anisimkin Jr.' and quasi-longitudinal acoustic plate modes in low-symmetry crystals of arbitrary orientation

The Anisimkin Jr. (AN) acoustic plate mode having dominant and depth-independent longitudinal displacement (u(1) > u(2), u(3); u(1) ≈ constant) is numerically found in tetragonal 4mm Li(2)B(4)O(7) crystal with one of the low-symmetry orientations (Euler angles 89°, 37°, 104°), as an example. The quasi-longitudinal (QL) modes with dominant and depth-dependent longitudinal displacement (u(1) > u(2), u(3); u(1) ≠ constant) are experimentally detected along several propagation directions Θ in 128°y-LiNbO(3) plate, where Θ = 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° with respect to the x-axis. Compared with more symmetrical plate materials and orientations, the displacement profiles of the AN and QL modes in lower-symmetry counterparts are qualitatively the same, but their phase profiles are more complicated. Moreover, like any acoustic wave, all plate modes in anisotropic crystals suffer from beam steering, in general. The power flow angles of the modes propagating in a fixed direction are different and depend on the mode order n.     

The First Joint European Partial-G Parabolic Flight Campaign at Moon and Mars Gravity Levels for Science and Exploration

Aircraft parabolic flights provide repetitively short periods of reduced gravity and are used to conduct scientific and technology microgravity investigations, to test instrumentation prior to space flights and to train astronauts before a space mission. Since 1997, ESA, CNES and DLR use the Airbus A300 ZERO-G, currently the largest airplane in the world for this type of experimental research flight. This mean is managed by the French company Novespace. Since 2010, Novespace offers the possibility of flying reduced gravity levels equivalent to those on the Moon and Mars achieved repetitively for periods of more than 20?s. ESA, CNES and DLR issued an international call for experiments inviting European Scientists to submit experiment proposals to be conducted at these partial gravity levels. The scientific objectives are on one hand to obtain results at intermediate levels of gravity (between 0 and 1?g) allowing a better study of the influence of gravity, and on the other hand to give them some elements to prepare for research and exploration during space flights and future planetary exploration missions. ESA, CNES and DLR jointly organised in June 2011 the first Joint European Partial-G Parabolic Flight campaign with 13 experiments selected among 42 received proposals. Parabolas were flown during three flights providing micro-, Moon and Mars gravity levels with duration typically of 20?s, 25?s and 32?s with a mixed complement of investigations in physical and life sciences and in technology. The paper presents the approach taken to organise this campaign and the 13 selected experiments with some preliminary results are presented to show the interest of this unique research tool for microgravity and partial gravity investigations.     

Graphene as transparent conducting electrodes in organic photovoltaics: studies in graphene morphology, hole transporting layers, and counter electrodes

In this work, organic photovoltaics (OPV) with graphene electrodes are constructed where the effect of graphene morphology, hole transporting layers (HTL), and counter electrodes are presented. Instead of the conventional poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) PEDOT:PSS HTL, an alternative transition metal oxide HTL (molybdenum oxide (MoO(3))) is investigated to address the issue of surface immiscibility between graphene and PEDOT:PSS. Graphene films considered here are synthesized via low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) using a copper catalyst and experimental issues concerning the transfer of synthesized graphene onto the substrates of OPV are discussed. The morphology of the graphene electrode and HTL wettability on the graphene surface are shown to play important roles in the successful integration of graphene films into the OPV devices. The effect of various cathodes on the device performance is also studied. These factors (i.e., suitable HTL, graphene surface morphology and residues, and the choice of well-matching counter electrodes) will provide better understanding in utilizing graphene films as transparent conducting electrodes in future solar cell applications.     

Spin-dependent plasmonics based on interfering topological defects

Observation of spin-dependent plasmonics based on the interference of topological defects in the near-field is presented. We utilize the surface plasmons' scattering dynamics from localized vortex sources to create spinoptical devices as an ensemble of isolated nanoantennas to observe a "giant" spin-dependent plasmonic vortex and a spin-dependent plasmonic focusing lens. The spin-orbit point spread function, a spiral wavefront, is introduced, where the optical spin is a degree of freedom.     

A new twist on scanning thermal microscopy

The thermal bimorph is a very popular thermal sensing mechanism used in various applications from meat thermometers to uncooled infrared cameras. While thermal bimorphs have remained promising for scanning thermal microscopy, unfortunately the bending of the bimorph directly interferes with the bending associated with topographical information. We circumvent this issue by creating bimorphs that twist instead of bending and demonstrate the superior properties of this approach as compared to conventional scanning thermal microscopy.