Electrodeposition of platinum nanoclusters on type I collagen modified electrode and its electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation

We firstly reported a novel polymer matrix fabricated by type I collagen and polymers, and this matrix can be used as nanoreactors for electrodepositing platinum nanoclusters (PNCs). The type I collagen film has a significant effect on the growth of PNCs. The size of the platinum nanoparticles could be readily tuned by adjusting deposition time, potential and the concentration of electrolyte, which have been verified by field-emitted scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry (CV) has demonstrated that the as-prepared PNCs can catalyze methanol directly with higher activity than that prepared on PSS/PDDA film, and with better tolerance to poisoning than the commercial E-TEK catalyst. The collagen-polymer matrix can be used as a general reactor to electrodeposit other metal nanostructures.

Oligonucleotide-stabilized Ag nanoclusters as novel fluorescence probes for the highly selective and sensitive detection of the Hg2+ ion

Fluorescent oligonucleotide-stabilized Ag nanoclusters are demonstrated as novel and environmentally-friendly fluorescence probes for the determination of Hg2+ ions with a low detection limit and high selectivity.

One-step preparation and characterization of poly(propyleneimine) dendrimer-protected silver nanoclusters

Highly stable silver nanoclusters with narrow size distribution have been prepared by heating a third-generation poly(propyleneimine) dendrimer/AgNO3 aqueous solution without the additional step of introducing other reducing agents and protect agents. UV-vis absorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have been used to characterize the resulting products. The as-obtained sample was in coexistence of Ag and Ag2O. It also suggested that increasing temperature resulted in both the decrease in number of small particles and the increase in size of large particles.

Robust core-shell supramolecular assemblies based on cationic vesicles and ring-shaped {Mo-154} polyoxomolybdate nanoclusters: Template-directed synthesis and characterizations

Substantial progress has been made recently in extending the supramolecular assembly of biomimetic structures to vesicle-based sophisticated nanocomposites and mesostructures. We report herein the successful preparation of unilamellar surfactant vesicles coated with a monolayer of ring-shaped {Mo-154} polyoxometalate (POM) nanoclusters, (NH4)(28)[Mo-154 (NO)(14)O(448)Hi(4)(H2O)(70)].approximate to 350H(2)O, by coulomb attractions using preformed didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) surfactant vesicles as templates. The resultant vesicle-templated supramolecular assemblies are robust (they do not disintegrate upon dehydration) both at room-temperature ambient and vacuum conditions, as characterized by conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The flexibility of the complex soft assemblies was also revealed by AFM measurements. The effect of POM-vesicle coulomb attractions on the dimensions of the templating vesicles was also investigated by using dynamic light scattering (DLS).Although origins of the structure stability of the as-prepared supramolecular assemblies are not clear yet, the nanometer scale cavities and the related properties of macroions of the POM clusters may play an important role in it.

3-Mercaptopropionic Acid Capped Gold Nanoclusters: Quantized Capacitance in Aqueous Media

3-Mercaptopropionic add monolayer protected gold nanoclusters (MPA-MPCs) were synthesized and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The exact value of quantized double-layer capacitance of MPCS in aqueous media was obtained by differential pulse voltammograms.

Triphenylmethanethiol: a novel rigid capping agent for gold nanoclusters

In this article, we employed triphenylmethanethiol (TPMT) as a novel rigid agent for capping gold nanoparticles and the TPMT monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles were characterized by various analytical techniques. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed a narrow dispersed gold core with an average core diameter of ca. 3.6 nm. The UV/vis spectrum revealed the surface plasmon absorbance at 528 nm. The p-pi conjugated structure of the TPMT ligand was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the rigid nature of the TPMT chains.

纳米铜团簇凝结规律的分子动力学研究

Freezing processes of liquid Cu nanoclusters with atoms of 147,309 and 561 are performed by means of molecular dynamics, which show that the structures of the obtained solid nanoclusters at room temperature arc, governed by the cooling rate and the cluste

纳米铜团簇在常温和升温过程中能量特征的分子动力学研究

采用分子动力学方法和F-S多体势函数，模拟研究纳米铜团簇常温下能量特征及其在升温直到熔化过程中的变化，确定了常温下纳米铜团簇的表面原子厚度和表面能，给出在不同温度下纳米铜团簇能量大小分布比例和能量的概率密度，细致描述了团簇升温过程团簇内部原子和表面原子之间不同的变化特征。

纳米铜团簇扩散性质研究

本文通过分子动力学模拟研究了纳米铜团簇的自扩散性质,结果表明Nc8949铜团簇自扩散系数随温度的升高而增大,在温度为1000 K时纳米铜团簇的扩散系数随团簇半径的倒数基本呈线性增加.同时指出在常温下团簇几乎无扩散行为,而某些文献中关于常温下晶粒扩散分子动力学模拟结果是模拟体系宏观转动造成的虚假现象.

Synthesis and characterizations of Al-doped Zn0.95Ni0.05O nanocrystals

Nanocrystalline Zn0.95-xNi0.05AlxO (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.10) diluted magnetic semiconductors have been synthesized by an autocombustion method. X-ray absorption spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry and Ni 2p core-level photoemission spectroscopy analyses revealed that some of the nickel ions were substituted for Zn2+ into the ZnO matrix while others gave birth to NiO nanoclusters embedded in the ZnO particles. The Zn0.95Ni0.05O sample showed no enhancement of room-temperature ferromagnetism after Al doping. (C) 2007 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Growth Parameter Dependence of Structural Characterizations of Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor (Ga, Cr)As

We report the influence of growth parameters and post-growth annealing on the structural characterizations and magnetic properties of (Ga, Cr)As films. The crystalline quality and magnetic properties are sensitive to the growth conditions. The single-phase (Ga, Cr)As film with the Curie temperature of 10 K is synthesized at growth temperature T-s = 250 degrees C and with nominal Cr content x = 0.016. However, for the films with x > 0.02, the aggregation of Cr atoms is strongly enhanced as both T. and x increase, which not only brings strong compressive strain in the epilayer, but also roughens the surface. The origin of room-temperature ferromagnetism in (Ga, Cr)As films with nanoclusters is also discussed.

Anomalous temperature dependence of photoluminescence from stoichiometric GD(2)O(3-x) film

A stoichiometric Gd2O3-x thin film has been grown on a silicon (10 0) substrate with a low-energy dual ion-beam epitaxial technique. Gd2O3-x shares Gd2O3 structures although there are many oxygen deficiencies in the film. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements have been performed in a temperature range 5-300 K. The detailed characters of the peak position, the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) and the peak intensity at different temperature were reported. An anomalous intensity behavior of the PL spectra has been observed, which is similar to that of some other materials such as porous silicon and silicon nanocrystals in silicon dioxide. Therefore, we suggest that the nanoclusters with the oxygen deficiencies contribute to the PL emission and employ the model of singlet-triplet exchange splitting of exciton to discuss the four peaks observed in the experiment. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alloy compositional fluctuation in InAlGaN epitaxial films

The quaternary InAlGaN films were grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) at various temperatures and the optical and structural properties of the quaternary films were investigated by temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL), high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The results show that the temperature-dependent PL intensity of the InAlGaN film is similar to that of the disordered alloys, which is thought to be due to local alloy compositional fluctuations (ACF) in the epilayer. HRXRD measurement reveals there are In-rich and In-poor phases in the film and HREM observation, on the other hand, demonstrates that nanoclusters formed in the epilayer. Therefore the experimental results support the existence of ACF in the epilayers.

Metal catalysis-free, direction-controlled planar growth of single-crystalline alpha-Si3N4 nanowires on Si(100) substrate

Single-crystalline alpha-Si3N4 nanowires are controlled to grow perpendicular to the wet-etched trenches in the SiO0.94 film on the plane of the Si substrate without metal catalysis. A detailed characterization is carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photoluminescence at 600 nm from alpha-Si3N4 nanowires is attributed to the recombination at the defect state formed by the Si dangling bond N3 equivalent to Si-center dot. The growth mechanism is considered to be related to the catalysis and nitridation of SiO nanoclusters preferably re-deposited around the inner corner of the trenches, as well as faster Si diffusion along the slanting side walls of the trenches. This simple direction-controlled growth method is compatible with the CMOS process, and could facilitate the fabrication of alpha-Si3N4 nanoelectronic or nanophotonic devices on the Si platform.

Photoluminescence behaviors from stoichiometric gadolinium oxide films

Stoichiometric gadolinium oxide thin films have been grown on silicon (100) substrates with a low-energy dual ion-beam epitaxial technique. Gadolinium oxide shares Gd2O3 structures although the ratio of gadolinium and oxygen in the film is about 2:1 and a lot of oxygen deficiencies exist. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements have been carried out within a temperature range of 5-300 K. The detailed characters of the PL emission integrated intensity, peak position, and peak width at different temperature were reported and an anomalous photoluminescence behavior was observed. The character of PL emission integrated intensity is similar to that of some other materials such as porous silicon and silicon nanocrystals in silicon dioxide. Four peaks relative to alpha band and beta band were observed also. Therefore we suggest that the nanoclusters with the oxygen deficiencies contribute to the PL emission and the model of singlet-triplet exchange splitting of exciton was employed for discussion. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.