Osteoblast Behavior on Hierarchical Micro-/Nano-Structured Titanium Surface

In the present work, osteoblast behavior on a hierarchical micro-/nano-structured titanium surface was investigated. A hi- erarchical hybrid micro-/nano-structured titanium surface topography was produced via Electrolytic Etching （EE）. MG-63 cells were cultured on disks for 2 h to 7 days. The osteoblast response to the hierarchical hybrid micro-/nano-structured titanium surface was evaluated through the osteoblast cell morphology, attachment and proliferation. For comparison, MG-63 cells were also cultured on Sandblasted and Acid-etched （SEA） as well as Machined （M） surfaces respectively. The results show signifi- cant differences in the adhesion rates and proliferation levels of MG-63 cells on EE, SLA, and M surfaces. Both adhesion rate and proliferation level on EE surface are higher than those on SLA and M surfaces. Therefore, we may expect that, comparing with SLA and M surfaces, bone growth on EE surface could be accelerated and bone formation could be promoted at an early stage, which could be applied in the clinical practices for immediate and early-stage loadings.

The 18.3% Silicon Solar Cells with Nano-Structured Surface and Rear Emitter

A nano-structured surface is formed on the pyramid structure of n-type silicon solar cells by size-controlled silver nano-particle assisted etching. Such a nano-structure creates a front average weighted reflectance of less than 2.5% in the 300-1200nm range due to the broadband reflection suppression. The sodium hydroxide is used to obtain the low-area surface by post-etching the nano-structure, thus the severe carrier recombination associated with the nano-structured surface could be reduced. After emitter forming, screen printing and firing by means of the industrial fabrication protocol, an 18.3%-efficient nano-structured silicon solar cell with rear emitter is fabricated. The process of fabricating the solar cells matches well with industrial manufacture and shows promising prospects.

Stainless steel anisotropic superhydrophobic surfaces fabrication with inclined cone array via laser ablation and post annealing treatment

Metal superhydrophobic surfaces with anisotropic wettability and adhesion have become more and more important due to their promising applications. Herein, we report a new fabrication strategy through a combination of pulsed laser ablation and low-temperature annealing post-processing. An inclined cone structure array is made on stainless steel surfaces, and then 120 °C low-temperature annealing is applied. Such surface displays excellent mechanical durability and anisotropic superhydrophobicity. It is demonstrated experimentally that the contact angle of water droplets on the surface is different along the parallel(167° ±2°) and perpendicular directions(157° ±2°) of the inclined cone structure. The sliding behaviors of water droplets and mechanical durability of the inclined cone structures are studied. These surfaces obtained in a short time with environmentally friendly fabrication can be applied in industries for water harvesting, droplet manipulation, and pipeline transportation.

Comparative Assessment on Machinability of Nano-Structured Bainitic Steel and Titanium64

Titanium64 has characteristics well sought after for applications in demanding environments. In general, due to titanium64’s high performance, it is a material which requires careful and well considered machining approaches in order to optimize the process. Nano-structured bainitic steel whilst having different application bases does none the less have similar machining and machinability short comes as that of titanium64. These similar characteristics have been compared and contrasted in this research study using parameters including cutting force, surface texture and metallography. The results tend to indicate that titanium64 has a poorer machinability characteristics compared to nano-structured bainitic steel. However, in terms of achieving greater surface texture characteristics, the nano-structured bainitic steel exhibited an enhanced capacity.

Pushing the frontiers: Chip-based detection based on micro-and nano-structures

Changes in trace substances in human metabolites, which are related to disease processes and health status, can serve as chemical markers for disease diagnosis and symptom monitoring. Real-time online detection is an inevitable trend for the future of health monitoring, and the construction of chips for detection faces major challenges. The response of sensors often fails to meet the requirements for chipbased detection of trace substances due to the low efficiency of interfacial heterogeneous reactions, necessitating a rational design approach for micro-and nano-structures to improve sensor performance with respect to sensitivity and detection limits. This review focuses on the influence of micro-and nanostructures that used in chip on sensing. Firstly, this review categorizes sensors into chemiresistors, electrochemical sensors, fluorescence sensors, and surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) sensors based on their sensing principle, which have significant applications in disease diagnosis. Subsequently, commencing from the application requirements in the field of sensing, this review focuses on the different structures of nanoparticle(NP) assemblies, including wire, layered, core-shell, hollow, concave and deformable structures. These structures change in the size, shape, and morphology of conventional structures to achieve characteristics such as ordered alignment, high specific surface area, space limitation,vertical diffusion, and swaying behavior with fluid, thereby addressing issues such as poor signal transmission efficiency, inadequate adsorption and capture capacity, and slow mass transfer speed during sensing. Finally, the design direction of micro-and nano-structures, and possible obstacles and solutions to promote chip-based detection have been discussed. It is hope that this article will inspire the exploration of interface micro-and nano-structures modulated sensing methods.

Micro/nano-structured TiO2 surface with dual-functional antibacterial effects for biomedical applications

Implant-associated infections are generally difficult to cure owing to the bacterial antibiotic resistance which is attributed to the widespread usage of antibiotics.Given the global threat and increasing influence of antibiotic resistance,there is an urgent demand to explore novel antibacterial strategies other than using antibiotics.Recently,using a certain surface topography to provide a more persistent antibacterial solution attracts more and more attention.However,the clinical application of biomimetic nano-pillar array is not satisfactory,mainly because its antibacterial ability against Gram-positive strain is not good enough.Thus,the pillar array should be equipped with other antibacterial agents to fulfill the bacteriostatic and bactericidal requirements of clinical application.Here,we designed a novel model substrate which was a combination of periodic micro/nano-pillar array and TiO2 for basically understanding the topographical bacteriostatic effects of periodic micro/nano-pillar array and the photocatalytic bactericidal activity of TiO2.Such innovation may potentially exert the synergistic effects by integrating the persistent topographical antibacterial activity and the non-invasive X-ray induced photocatalytic antibacterial property of TiO2 to combat against antibiotic-resistant implant-associated infections.First,to separately verify the topographical antibacterial activity of TiO2 periodic micro/nano-pillar array,we systematically investigated its effects on bacterial adhesion,growth,proliferation,and viability in the dark without involving the photocatalysis of TiO2.The pillar array with sub-micron motif size can significantly inhibit the adhesion,growth,and proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)and Escherichia coli(E.coli).Such antibacterial ability is mainly attributed to a spatial confinement size-effect and limited contact area availability generated by the special topography of pillar array.Moreover,the pillar array is not lethal to S.aureus and E.coli in 24 h.Then,the X-ray induced photocatalytic antibacterial property of TiO2 periodic micro/nano-pillar array in vitro and in vivo will be systematically studied in a future work.This study could shed light on the direction of surface topography design for future medical implants to combat against antibiotic-resistant implant-associated infections without using antibiotics.

Blade-Coated Porous 3D Carbon Composite Electrodes Coupled with Multiscale Interfaces for Highly Sensitive All-Paper Pressure Sensors

Flexible and wearable pressure sensors hold immense promise for health monitoring,covering disease detection and postoperative rehabilitation.Developing pressure sensors with high sensitivity,wide detection range,and cost-effectiveness is paramount.By leveraging paper for its sustainability,biocompatibility,and inherent porous structure,herein,a solution-processed all-paper resistive pressure sensor is designed with outstanding performance.A ternary composite paste,comprising a compressible 3D carbon skeleton,conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate),and cohesive carbon nanotubes,is blade-coated on paper and naturally dried to form the porous composite electrode with hierachical micro-and nano-structured surface.Combined with screen-printed Cu electrodes in submillimeter finger widths on rough paper,this creates a multiscale hierarchical contact interface between electrodes,significantly enhancing sensitivity(1014 kPa-1)and expanding the detection range(up to 300 kPa)of as-resulted all-paper pressure sensor with low detection limit and power consumption.Its versatility ranges from subtle wrist pulses,robust finger taps,to large-area spatial force detection,highlighting its intricate submillimetermicrometer-nanometer hierarchical interface and nanometer porosity in the composite electrode.Ultimately,this all-paper resistive pressure sensor,with its superior sensing capabilities,large-scale fabrication potential,and cost-effectiveness,paves the way for next-generation wearable electronics,ushering in an era of advanced,sustainable technological solutions.

Effect of metal surface morphology on nano-structured patterns induced by a femtosecond laser pulse and its experimental verification

The effect of material surface morphology on the periodic subwavelength of nano-structures induced by a femtosecond（fs） laser was investigated systematically from the initial surface roughness, the different scratches, the pre-formed ripples, and the ＂layer-carving＂ technology experiments. The results of the comparative experiments indicate that the initial surface conditions of the target surface have no obvious effects on the spatial structured periods（SSPs） and the ripple orientation of the periodic nano-structures induced by a fs laser, which agreed well with the foretold present surface two-plasmon resonance（STPR） model. Furthermore, different shapes of nanogrids with high regularity and uniformity were obtained by fs-laser fabrication.

Mechanical Properties of Micro-regions in Cement-based Material based on the PeakForce QNM Mode of AFM

In this paper, the cement paste and the mortar were tested using the PF-QNM technique. It is shown that the PF-QNM technique is very powerful to characterize the mechanical properties of micro-and nanostructures in the cement-based materials. It does not have strict requirements for test environment and it does not damage the surface of the material. High-resolution images can be obtained very easily, and they can be analyzed statistically. The test results show that PF-QNM analysis can test not only the mechanical properties of the cement paste, but also investigate the interfacial regions in the cement-based material, including the variation in the mechanical properties of interface regions and the extension of the interfacial regions. During the test, care must be taken to choose the size of test area;indeed, a test area too small is not representative but too large leads to lack of stability. The recommended side is a square with a length of in the range 10-30 μm.

Metal-organic layers induce in situ nano-structuring of Cu surface in electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction

Cu-based catalysts have attracted widespread attention for its capability in electrocatalytically reducing CO_(2)to a variety of products.Surface modification of Cu has become an interesting method for tuning the catalytic performance.Here,we use Zrbased metal-organic layers(MOLs)as the additive of the Cu surface,which enhanced the Faradaic efficiency of CH4 by two times as compared to the untreated polycrystalline Cu foil.Unexpectedly,the MOLs were found to induce in situ nano-structuring of the Cu foil surface within seconds in the electrolysis,as revealed by a combination of scanning electron microscopy(SEM),grazing incidence X-ray diffractometry(GIXRD),and linear sweep voltammetry(LSV)measurements.These surface changes are responsible for the shift of product selectivity.Control experiments suggest that negatively chargedμ3-O−on the Zr-cluster in the MOL might interact with CO-covered Cu surface and induce roughing and nano-structuring.This work reveals a potential role of additive on Cu to induce surface nano-structuring that tunes catalytic activity and selectivity.

Effect of Al Doping on Structural, Electrical, Optical and Photoluminescence Properties of Nano-Structural ZnO Thin Films

The nano-structural Al-doped ZnO thin films of different morphologies deposited on glass substrate were successfully fabricated at substrate temperature of 350 ℃ by an inexpensive spray pyrolysis method. The structural, electrical, optical and photoluminescence properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction study revealed the crystalline wurtzite （hexagonal） structure of the films with nano-grains. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） micrographs indicated the formation of a large variety of nano-structures during film growth. The spectral absorption of the films occurred at the absorption edge of -410 nm. In the present study, the optical band gap energy 3.28 eV of ZnO decreased gradually to 3.05 eV for 4 mol% of AI doping. The deep level activation energy decreased and carrier concentrations increased substantially with increasing doping. Exciting with the energy 3.543 eV （A=350 nm）, a narrow and a broad characteristic photoluminescence peaks that correspond to the near band edge （NBE） and deep level emissions （DLE）, respectively emerged.

Manipulating Bloch surface waves in 2D: a platform concept-based flat lens

At the end of the 1970s,it was confirmed that dielectric multilayers can sustain Bloch surface waves(BSWs).However,BSWs were not widely studied until more recently.Taking advantage of their high-quality factor,sensing applications have focused on BSWs.Thus far,no work has been performed to manipulate and control the natural surface propagations in terms of defined functions with two-dimensional(2D)components,targeting the realization of a 2D system.In this study,we demonstrate that 2D photonic components can be implemented by coating an in-plane shaped ultrathin(l/15)polymer layer on the dielectric multilayer.The presence of the polymer modifies the local effective refractive index,enabling direct manipulation of the BSW.By locally shaping the geometries of the 2D components,the BSW can be deflected,diffracted,focused and coupled with 2D freedom.Enabling BSW manipulation in 2D,the dielectric multilayer can play a new role as a robust platform for 2D optics,which can pave the way for integration in photonic chips.Multiheterodyne near-field measurements are used to study light propagation through micro-and nano-optical components.We demonstrate that a lens-shaped polymer layer can be considered as a 2D component based on the agreement between near-field measurements and theoretical calculations.Both the focal shift and the resolution of a 2D BSW lens are measured for the first time.The proposed platform enables the design of 2D all-optical integrated systems,which have numerous potential applications,including molecular sensing and photonic circuits.

Soft Fibrous Structures in Nature as Liquid Catcher

Past decades have witnessed the explosive growth of interest in the field of bioinspired materials,of which the structures and properties can be well utilized for industrial and bioengineering applications.Among these structures,the natural fibrous structures propose diverse strategies to adapt to their environment,offering inspirations for versatile applications,especially droplet manipulation.With various well-adapted soft structures and materials,these fibrous structures show good control over their interaction with liquids(e.g.,water),providing a database full of effective solutions to these droplet-related scientific and technical problems(e.g.,colloidal synthesis,single-cell gene sequencing,drug delivery and solution synthesis).In this review,the current achievements in water collection by multiple fibrous structures are highlighted;the structures,basic models,bio-inspired structures and their applications are presented;and the current challenges and future prospects for the development of bio-inspired fibrous structures are discussed.

Morphology-controlled Electrodeposition of Copper Nanospheres onto FTO for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Using CuSO4 as the copper source, nanostructured copper with four different morphologies was obtained by electrodeposition method on FTO substrates. The as-synthesized Cu/FTO samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy （DRS）, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）, and transmission electron micros- copy （TEM）. The effects of electrodeposition potential and electrodeposition time on the Cu/FTO samples and the photocatalytic performance were investigated systematically. The results showed that the Cu/FTO samples were well-crystallized and the morphologies could be changed from nanoslices to nanodendrites structure with the negative shift of the depositing potential. The electrodeposition potential and time have a significant effect on the amount of Hz evolution. The obtained Cu nanospheres which were prepared at the potential of-0.65 V for 600 s showed the best photocatalytic behavior. The mechanisms for the photocatalytic activities were also discussed.

Active Air Venting of Mold Cavity to Improve Performance of Injection Molded Direct Joining

A surface micro-/nano-structured metal plate can be joined with an injection molded plastic piece in a mold,which has been named injection molded direct joining(IMDJ).The injected plastic melt infiltrates the micro-/nano-structure,e.g.,a porous structure with micro/nano pores,on the metal plate while flowing in the mold cavity where the metal plate is inserted.After solidification of the plastic,the metal and plastic materials are directly joined via the micro-/nano-structured metal surface.Since air is trapped by the plastic melt,it is easily imagined that the air in the mold cavity prevents the melt plastic from contacting the metal surface and infiltrating the micro-/nano-structure,which could result in poorer joining performance.To avoid the prevention of the air for the better joining performance,the present study proposes a system actively venting the mold cavity during injection molding.To apply the active venting to IMDJ,venting and sealing systems were newly developed.In addition,a system measuring air pressure of the mold cavity was developed.The proposed system was evaluated by a measurement of joining strengths of IMDJ specimens that were produced under various conditions.From the results,it is concluded that the active venting does not necessarily have a positive effect in any cases:the effect depends on the type of surface micro-/nano-structure.