Mechanical and magnetocaloric adjustable properties of Fe3O4/PET deformed nanoparticle film

The flexibility of nanoparticle films is a topic of rapidly growing interest in both scientific and engineering researches due to their numerous potential applications in a broad range of wearable electronics and biomedical devices.This article presents the elucidation of the properties of nanoparticle films.Here,a flexible film is fabricated based on polyethylene terephthalate(PET)and magnetic iron oxide at the nanoscale using layer-by-layer technology.The 2D thin flexible film material can be bent at different angles from 0°to 360°.With an increase in elastic deformation angles,the magnetocaloric effect of the film gradually increases in the alternating magnetic field.The test results from a vibrating sample magnetometer and a low-frequency impedance analyzer demonstrate that the film has a good magnetic response and anisotropy.The magnetocaloric effect and magnetic induction effect are controlled by deformation,providing a new idea for the application of elastic films.It combines the flexibility of the nanoparticle PET substrate and,in the future,it may be used for skin adhesion for administration and magnetic stimulation control.

Microstructure and abrasive wear behaviour of anodizing composite films containing Si C nanoparticles on Ti6Al4V alloy

Anodized composite films containing Si C nanoparticles were synthesized on Ti6Al4 V alloy by anodic oxidation procedure in C4O6H4Na2 electrolyte. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) were employed to characterize the morphology and composition of the films fabricated in the electrolytes with and without addition of Si C nanoparticles. Results show that Si C particles can be successfully incorporated into the oxide film during the anodizing process and preferentially concentrate within internal cavities and micro-cracks. The ball-on-disk sliding tests indicate that Si C-containing oxide films register much lower wear rate than the oxide films without Si C under dry sliding condition. Si C particles are likely to melt and then are oxidized by frictional heat during sliding tests. Potentiodynamic polarization behavior reveals that the anodized alloy with Si C nanoparticles results in a reduction in passive current density to about 1.54×10-8 A/cm2, which is more than two times lower than that of the Ti O2 film(3.73×10-8 A/cm2). The synthesized composite film has good anti-wear and anti-corrosion properties and the growth mechanism of nanocomposite film is also discussed.

Optical and electrical characterizations of nanoparticle Cu_2S thin films

Copper sulfide thin films are deposited onto different substrates at room temperature using the thermal evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction spectra show that the film has an orthorhombicchalcocite （7-Cu2S） phase. The atomic force microscopy images indicate that the film exhibits nanoparticles with an average size of nearly 44 nm. Specrtophotometric measurements for the transmittance and reflectance are carried out at normal incidence in a spectral wavelength range of 450 nm-2500 nm. The refractive index, n, as well as the absorption index, k is calculated. Some dispersion parameters are determined. The analyses of el and e2 reveal several absorption peaks. The analysis of the spectral behavior of the absorption coefficient, c~, in the absorption region reveals direct and indirect allowed transitions. The dark electrical resistivity is studied as a function of film thickness and temperature. Tellier＇s model is adopted for determining the mean free path and bulk resistance.

Microstructure and optical absorption of Au-MgF2 nanoparticle cermet films

The microstructure and optical absorption of Au-MgF2 nanoparticle cermet films with different Au contents are studied. The microstructural analysis shows that the films are mainly composed of the amorphous MgF2 matrix with embedded fcc Au nanoparticles with a mean size of 9.8-21.4nm. Spectral analysis suggests that the surface plasma resonance （SPR） absorption peak of Au particles appears at λ=492-537nm. With increasing Au content, absorption peak intensity increases, profile narrows and location redshifts. Theoretical absorption spectra are calculated based on Maxwell-Garnett theory and compared with experimental spectra.

Light focusing in linear arranged symmetric nanoparticle trimer on metal film system

Benefiting from the induced image charge on film surface,the nanoparticle aggregating on metal exhibits interesting optical properties.In this work,a linear metal nanoparticle trimer on metal film system has been investigated to explore the novel optical phenomenon.Both the electric field and surface charge distributions demonstrate the light is focused on film greatly by the nanoparticles at two sides,which could be strongly modulated by the wavelength of incident light.And the influence of nanoparticle in middle on this light focusing ability has also been studied here,which is explained by the plasmon hybridization theory.Our finding about light focusing in nanoparticle aggregating on metal film not only enlarges the novel phenomenon of surface plasmon but also has great application prospect in the field of surface-enhanced spectra,surface catalysis,solar cells,water splitting,etc.

Influences of oscillatory structural forces on dewetting of nanoparticle-laden ultrathin films

To understand the influences of nanoparticles on dewetting in ultra-thin films, both linear stability the- ory and numerical simulations are performed in the present study, with the consideration of oscillatory structural （OS） forces. Long scale approximation is utilized to simplify the hydrodynamic and diffusion equations to a nonlinear system for film thickness and nanoparticle concentration. Results show that the presence of nanoparticles generally suppresses the dewetting process. Two physical mechanisms responsi- ble for this phenomenon are addressed in the present study. When the oscillatory structural forces are relatively smaller, the essential feature of film evolution is similar to the case of particle-free flow. The reduction of the linear growth rate and the postponement of film rupturing can be attributed to the increment of the viscosity due to the presence of nanoparti- cles. On the other hand, when the intensity of the OS forces becomes stronger, the stepwise thinning of film can be ob- served which prevents the film from rupture. Numerical sim- ulations indicate that this phenomenon is caused by the ex- istence of a stable zone due to the oscillatory nature of the structural forces. Another interesting finding is that the non- uniformity of the distribution of nanoparticle concentration might destabilize a spinodally stable film, and trigger the oc- currence of film dewetting.

Optical constants and their dispersion of Ag-MgF_2 nanoparticle composite films

Ag-MgF_2 composite films with different Ag fractions were prepared through a co-evaporation method. Microstructure analysis shows that the films are composed of amorphous MgF_2 matrix and embedded fcc-Ag nanoparticles. The optical constants and their dispersion of the films, within the wavelength range of 250 - 650 nm, were measured by reflecting spectroscopic ellipsometry. The maximum of the imaginary part ε~″ of the complex dielectric permittivity attributing to the surface plasmon resonance polarization of the Ag nanoparticles in an Ag-MgF_2 film, and the tangent of the phase-shift angle δ resulting from the dielectric loss of the film, occur at λ= 435 nm and λ= 420 nm, respectively. Based on Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory, the experimentally observed dispersion spectra were reasonably described.

Enhancement of second-order harmonic generation in polarized BaTiO_3 thin films embedded with Ag nanoparticles

RECENTLY, much attention has been paid to optical properties of ferroelectric thin films. Be-

Large-scale area of magnetically anisotropic nanoparticle monolayer films deposited by MAPLE

Magnetically anisotropic nanoparticle monolayer films are of great interest for the development of ap-plications such as high-density data storage,sensors.However,the formation of large-scale magnetically anisotropic monolayer film is a challenging task.Here,we provide a new way to fabricate large-scale area of Fe_(3)O_(4) nanoparticle monolayer films by vacuum deposition technique(matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation,MAPLE).During the deposition process,only interactions between nanoparticles influence nanoparticle self-assembly behaviors.A strong magnetic anisotropy,characterized by in-plane and out-of-plane coercivity and saturation field obtained by DCM(dynamic cantilever magnetometry),was obtained both in cubic and spherical Fe_(3)O_(4) nanoparticle monolayer films.The inter-particle dipolar interaction but not crystal anisotropy is responsible for this effective magnetic anisotropy,which has been proved by Monte-Carlo simulations.

Effect of ZnO Electrodeposited on Carbon Film and Decorated with Metal Nanoparticles for Solar Hydrogen Production

In this study, we prepared horn-like ZnO structures on carbon films（ZnO/CF） by electrodeposition and decorated the ZnO horns with different metals（Ag, Au, and Pt） via photodeposition（M-ZnO/CF）. Using M-ZnO/CF as photocatalysts, we examined ways to enhance solar hydrogen production from various points of view, such as modifying the intrinsic physical properties and thermodynamics of the materials, and varying the chemical environment during M-ZnO/CF fabrication. In particular, we focused on the effects of the carbon film and metals in M-ZnO/CF hybrid photocatalysts on solar hydrogen production. The type of metal nanoparticles is an important factor in solar hydrogen production because the deposition rate and electrical conductivity of each metal affect the proton-water reduction ability.

Fabrication of Flexible Transparent Conductive Films with Silver Nanowire by Vacuum Filtration and PET Mold Transfer

The flexible transparent conductive films （FrCFs） of silver nanowire-polyethylene terephthalate （AgNW- PET） were prepared by a facile method including vacuum filtration and mold transferring. The effect of silver nanowire weight density on the optical and electrical properties of films, as well as the electrical percolation was investigated. The obtained typical AgNW-PET film exhibited high figure of merit of 31.3 × 10^-3 Ω^-1 with low sheet resistance of 4.95 D sq^-1 and high transparency at 550 nm of 83.0% （excluding PET substrate）. The resulting FTCFs based on PET substrate with high transmittance and low sheet resistance have a great potential in the application of high-performance flexible electronics and photovoltaic devices.

Decorating carbon nanofibers with Mo_2C nanoparticles towards hierarchically porous and highly catalytic cathode for high-performance Li-O_2 batteries

A facile synthesis of the hierarchically porous cathode with Mo2C nanoparticles through the electrospinning technique and heat treatment is proposed. The carbonization temperature of the precursors is the key factor for the formation of M02C nanoparticles on the carbon nanofibers （MCNFs）. Compared with the Mo2N nanoparticles embedded into N-doped carbon nanofibers film （MNNFs） and N-doped carbon nanofibers film （NFs）, the battery with MCNFs cathode is capable of operation with a high-capacity （10,509 mAhg-1 at 100 mAg-l）, a much reduced discharge-charge voltage gap, and a long-term life （124 cycles at 200 mA g-1 with a specific capacity limit of 500 mAh g -1）. These excellent performances are derived from the synergy of the following advantageous factors： （1） the hierarchically self-standing and binder-free structure of MCNFs could ensure the high diffusion flux of Li＋ and O2 as well as avoid clogging of the discharge product, bulk Li202; （2） the well dispersed M02C nanoparticles not only afford rich active sites, but also facilitate the electronic transfer for catalysis.

Scalable gas-phase processes to create nanostructured particles

The properties of nanoparticles are often different from those of larger grains of the same solid material because of their very large specific surface area. This enables many novel applications, but properties such as agglomeration can also hinder their potential use. By creating nanostructured particles one can take optimum benefit from the desired properties while minimizing the adverse effects. We aim at developing high-precision routes for scalable production of nanostructured particles. Two gas-phase synthesis routes are explored. The first one - covering nanoparticles with a continuous layer - is carried out using atomic layer deposition in a fluidized bed. Through fluidization, the full surface area of the nanoparticles becomes available. With this process, particles can be coated with an ultra-thin film of constant and well-tunable thickness. For the second route - attaching nanoparticles to larger particles - a novel approach using electrostatic forces is demonstrated. The micron-sized particles are charged with one polarity using tribocharging. Using electrospraying, a spray of charged nanoparticles with opposite polarity is generated. Their charge prevents agglomeration, while it enhances efficient deposition at the surface of the host particle. While the proposed processes offer good potential for scale-up, further work is needed to realize large-scale processes.