Enhancement of antibacterial properties of Ag nanorods by electric field

Abstract

The effect of an electric field on the antibacterial activity of columnar aligned silver nanorods was investigated. Silver nanorods with a polygonal cross section, a width of 20–60 nm and a length of 260–550 nm, were grown on a titanium interlayer by applying an electric field perpendicular to the surface of a Ag/Ti/Si(100) thin film during its heat treatment at 700 °C in an Ar+H₂ environment. The optical absorption spectrum of the silver nanorods exhibited two peaks at wavelengths of 350 and 395 nm corresponding to the main surface plasmon resonance bands of the one-dimensional silver nanostructures. It was found that the silver nanorods with an fcc structure were bounded mainly by {100} facets. The antibacterial activity of the silver nanorods against Escherichia coli bacteria was evaluated at various electric fields applied in the direction of the nanorods without any electrical connection between the nanorods and the capacitor plates producing the electric field. Increasing the electric field from 0 to 50 V cm^?1 resulted in an exponential increase in the relative rate of reduction of the bacteria from 3.9×10^?2 to 10.5×10^?2 min^?1. This indicates that the antibacterial activity of silver nanorods can be enhanced by applying an electric field, for application in medical and food-preserving fields.     

Ultraviolet photoresponse of ZnO nanostructured AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

We present the first active visible blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetector based on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructured AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). The ZnO nanorods (NRs) are selectively grown on the gate area by using hydrothermal method. It is shown that ZnO nanorod (NR)-gated UV detectors exhibit much superior performance in terms of response speed and recovery time to those of seed-layer-gated detectors. It is also found that the best response speed (~10 and~190 ms) and responsivity (~1.1×10⁵ A/W) were observed from detectors of the shortest gate length of 2 µm among our NR-gated devices of three different gate dimensions, and this responsivity is about one order higher than the best performance of ZnO NR-based UV detectors reported to date.     

Optimal conditions of isobutane dehydrogenation in radial flow moving bed hydrogen-permselective membrane reactors to enhance isobutene and hydrogen production

In the isobutane dehydrogenation process, coupling reaction and separation and optimization of the intensified process can improve the isobutane conversion and selectivity, reduce operational costs and lets to produce pure hydrogen. In this research, the radial flow moving bed reactors in the Olefex technology have been supported by Pd–Ag membrane plate to remove hydrogen from the reaction zone. The reactions occur in the tube side and the hydrogen is permeated from the reaction zone to the sweep gas stream. The proposed configuration has been modeled heterogeneously based on the mass and energy conservation laws considering reaction networks. To prove the accuracy of the considered model, the simulation results of the conventional process have been compared against available plant data. The Genetic algorithm as an effective method in the global optimization has been considered to optimize the operating condition of membrane reactors to enhance isobutene productivity. In this optimal configuration, the isobutene production has been enhanced about 3.7%.     

Enthalpies of mixing of liquid Ag–Ga,Cu–Ga and Ag–Cu–Ga alloys

Using MHTC 96 Setaram high temperature drop calorimeter, partial and integral enthalpies of mixing of liquid alloys were determined in the Ag–Ga, Cu–Ga and in the ternary Ag–Cu–Ga system. The ternary alloys were investigated along two cross-sections at two different temperatures: 1128 K and 1273 K, respectively. Experimental data were used to find ternary interaction parameters by applying the Redlich–Kister–Muggianu model for substitutional solutions, and a full set of parameters describing the concentration dependence of the enthalpy of mixing was derived. The experimental data indicate that the heat of mixing in this system is slightly temperature dependent, at least in the measured temperature range.     

Catalyst‐Free GaN Nanorods Synthesized by Selective Area Growth

GaN nanorod formation on Ga‐polar GaN by continuous mode metalorganic chemical vapor deposition selective area growth (MOCVD SAG) is achieved under a relatively Ga‐rich condition. The Ga‐rich condition, provided by applying a very low V/III ratio, alters the growth rates of various planes of the defined nanostructure by increasing relative growth rate of the semi‐polar tilted m‐plane {1–101} that usually is the slowest growing plane under continuous growth conditions. This increased growth rate relative to the non‐polar m‐plane {1–100} and even the c‐plane (0001), permits the formation of GaN nanorods with nonpolar sidewalls. In addition, a new growth mode, called the NH₃‐pulsed mode, is introduced, utilizing the advantages of both the continuous mode and the lower growth rate pulsed mode to form nanorods. Finally, nanorods grown under the different growth modes are compared and discussed.     

纳米银-聚吡咯导电复合薄膜的制备

为研究制备纳米银-聚吡咯(Ag-PPy)导电复合薄膜的最佳聚合工艺,分别采用静置、超声和磁力搅拌三种聚合工艺制备了纳米银-聚吡咯导电复合薄膜。用四探针法测量了复合薄膜的表面电阻值,用三维视频显微镜(3-DVM)观测其表面形貌并测定了膜层的厚度,用X射线衍射仪(XRD)分析了膜层物质的晶型。结果表明:采用频率为25kHz、功率为70 W的超声工艺制备的Ag-PPy导电复合薄膜的综合性能最好,在该条件下得到的复合薄膜表面平整,纳米银粒子在聚吡咯中分布连续且均匀,表面电阻值可达到0.68kΩ,复合物粒子在基体上沉积的厚度为56.28μm,沉积速率为8.67mg·cm-2·h-1。     

Design of Ag nanograting for broadband absorption enhancement in amorphous silicon thin film solar cells

Light trapping is one of the key issues to improve the light absorption and increase the efficiency of thin film solar cells. The effects of the triangular Ag nanograting on the absorption of amorphous silicon solar cells were investigated by a numerical simulation based on the finite element method. The light absorption under different angle and area of the grating has been calculated. Furthermore, the light absorption with different incident angle has been calculated. The optimization results show that the absorption of the solar cell with triangular Ag nanograting structure and anti-reflection film is enhanced up to 96% under AM1.5 illumination in the 300–800 nm wavelength range compared with the reference cell. The physical mechanisms of absorption enhancement in different wavelength range have been discussed. Furthermore, the solar cell with the Ag nanograting is much less sensitive to the angle of incident light. These results are promising for the design of amorphous silicon thin film solar cells with enhanced performance.     

Realizing enhanced thermoelectric properties in Cu2GeSe3 via a synergistic effect of In and Ag dual-doping

In this work, we propose a modulation doping strategy for simultaneous achievement of low lattice thermal conductivity and high Seebeck coefficient in the Cu₂GeSe₃ compound. The Ag and In dual-doping can optimize the hole carrier concentration to balance electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, achieving a high power factor of ～6.4 μW cm^?1 K^?2 for the Cu₂GeSe₃ compound. The Ag point defect makes a great contribution to blocking the propagation of phonons besides the phonon-phonon Umklapp process, yielding a minimum lattice thermal conductivity of ～0.38 W m^–1 K^–1. Remarkably, a maximum ZT value of ～0.97 at 723 K is achieved for Cu_1.8Ag_0.2Ge_0.95In_0.05Se₃ compound, which is the highest value for the Cu₂GeSe₃-based systems in the temperature range of 323–723 K.     

Palladized dysprosium fluoride nanorods as a new performance catalyst in direct methanol fuel cell

Fuel cells are a new type of batteries that produce electricity from a continuous source of alcohols as long as fuel is inserted. In this study, decorated palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) on dysprosium fluoride (DyF₃) nanorods (DyFNRs)‐multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used for electrooxidation of methanol. DyFNRs were synthesized by the hydrothermal method, and the proposed multifunctional catalyst (DyFNRs/MWCNT‐PdNPs) was identified by several methods such as X‐ray diffraction, elemental mapping images, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis of X‐rays, and transmission electron microscopy which demonstrated a uniform distribution and high dispersion of the PdNPs on the supports. The electrocatalytic activity toward methanol electrooxidation on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with DyFNRs/MWCNT‐PdNPs (DyFNRs/MWCNT‐PdNPs/GCE) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). Experimental results showed a high improvement in oxidation potential and peak current of methanol electrooxidation by DyFNRs/MWCNT‐PdNPs in comparison to DyFNRs and PdNPs. The values of the catalytic rate constant (k) and physical dimension (D_s) for methanol oxidation on the DyFNRs/MWCNT‐PdNPs/GCE catalyst were calculated 0.008 s^?1 and 1.43, respectively. Moreover, the order of reaction was determined to be 0.43 and 0.13 for CH₃OH and NaOH, repectively. Finally, the synthesized catalyst was evaluated in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The single DMFC with proposed anodic catalyst, DyFNRs/MWCNT‐PdNPs, indicated a power density of 4.4 mW·cm^?2 at a current density of 18 mA·cm^?2 in alcohol (1 M) and NaOH (1 M).