Hydroxyl radical generation by cactus-like copper oxide nanoporous carbon catalysts for microcystin-LR environmental remediation

Copper oxide supported on nanoporous activated carbon (CuO-NPAC) is reported for the aqueous phase catalytic degradation of cyanotoxin microcystin-LR (MC-LR). The loading and spatial distribution of CuO throughout the NPAC matrix strongly influence the catalytic efficiency. CuO-NPAC synthesis was optimized with respect to the copper loading and thermal processing, and the physicochemical properties of the resulting materials were characterized by XRD, BET, TEM, SEM, EPR, TGA, XPS and FT-IR spectroscopy. EPR spin trapping and fluorescence spectroscopy showed in situ ˙OH formation via H2O2 over CuO-NPAC as the catalytically relevant oxidant. The impact of reaction conditions, notably CuO-NPAC loading, H2O2 concentration and solution pH, is discussed in relation to the reaction kinetics for MC-LR remediation.

Critical Analysis on the Structural and Magnetic Properties of Bulk and Nanocrystalline Cu-Fe-O

Nanocrystalline and bulk samples of “Fe”-doped CuO were prepared by coprecipitation and ceramic methods. Structural and compositional analyses were performed using X-ray diffraction, SEM, and EDAX. Traces of secondary phases such as CuFe2O4, Fe3O4, and α-Fe2O3 having peaks very close to that of the host CuO were identified from the Rietveld profile analysis and the SAED pattern of bulk and nanocrystalline Cu0.98Fe0.02O samples. Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) measurements show hysteresis at 300 K for all the samples. The ferrimagnetic Neel transition temperature () was found to be around 465°C irrespective of the content of “Fe”, which is close to the value of cubic CuFe2O4. High-pressure X-Ray diffraction studies were performed on 2% “Fe”-doped bulk CuO using synchrotron radiation. From the absence of any strong new peaks at high pressure, it is evident that the secondary phases if present could be less than the level of detection. Cu2O, which is diamagnetic by nature, was also doped with 1% of “Fe” and was found to show paramagnetic behavior in contrast to the “Fe” doped CuO. Hence the possibility of intrinsic magnetization of “Fe”-doped CuO apart from the secondary phases is discussed based on the magnetization and charge state of “Fe” and the host into which it is substituted.

Transportadores sólidos de oxigênio à base de níquel e cobre suportados em aluminatos para combustão do metano pela tecnologia de recirculação química

In recent years, solid carriers suitable oxygen have been developed for use in different chemical processes recirculation. The success of this technology is directly related to the chemical reactivity and the oxygen storage capacity of the carrier. Thus, research into the development of new materials that can be applied to the process becomes extremely important. Possible candidates are the carriers based on nickel and copper for presenting favorable thermodynamic properties. In this work, aluminates type MAl2O4 (M = Mg and Ca) and M0,9B0,1Al2O4 (B = Ni and Cu) that are used as supports were synthesized by combustion reactions assisted by microwave and calcined at 900°C/2h. Then, the carriers were impregnated with 10% (m/m) of nickel or copper, and subsequently calcined at 600°C/2h to obtain the solid oxygen carriers, which were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) Microscopy scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and temperature programmed reduction (TPR). Reactions simulating the combustion process by chemical recirculation were performed by cycles reduction/oxidation, in order to evaluate the reactivity of carriers. XRD analysis revealed diffraction peaks of the spinel type structures. In the doped substrates were verified the presence of secondary phases, suggesting that all the metal was incorporated into the spinel structure. In solid oxygen carriers, the NiO and CuO phases were observed after impregnation of active phases on different media. The results of evaluations of chemical cycles reduction/oxidation revealed that TSO's impregnated with nickel in various media were more active and are potential candidates for use in the chemical recirculation technology

Description and composition iron-manganese concretions from the Pacific

One the most interesting features of ocean sedimentation is the manganese formations on the surface of the ocean floor in some areas. These are especially widespread in the Pacific Ocean as concretions, grains, and crusts on rock fragments and bedrock outcrops. Iron-manganese concretions are the most abundant as they completely cover about 10% of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean where there are ore concentrations. The concretions occupy from 20-50% of the bottom and up to 80-90% on separate submarine rises. Such concretions are found in different types of bottom deposits, from abyssal red clays to terrigenous muds, but they occur most widely in red clays and quite often in carbonate muds. Their shape and their dimensions are very diverse and change from place to place, from station to station, varying from 0.5-20 cm. They may be oval, globular, reniform, or slaggy and often they are fiat or isometric concretions of an indefinite shape. The concretions generally have nuclei of pumice, basalt fragments, clayey and tuffaceous material, sharks' teeth, whale ossicles, and fossil sponges. Most concretions have concentric layers, combined with dendritic ramifications of iron and manganese oxides.

Nanostructured copper oxides and phosphates from a new solid-state route

Nanostructured copper containing materials of CuO, Cu3(PO4)3 and Cu2P2O7 have been prepared by solid-state pyrolysis of molecular CuCl2·NC5H4OH (I), CuCl2·CNCH2C6H4OH (II), oligomeric [Cu(PPh3)Cl]4 (III), N3P3[OC6H4CH2CN·CuCl]6[PF6] (IV), N3P3[OC6H5]5[OC5H4N·Cu][PF6] (V), polymeric chitosan·(CuCl2)n (VI) and polystyrene-co-4-vinylpyridine PS-b-4-PVP·(CuCl2) (VII) precursors. The products strongly depend on the precursor used. The pyrolytic products from phosphorus-containing precursors (III), (IV) and (V) are Cu phosphates or pyrophosphates, while non-phosphorous-containing precursors (VI) and (VII), result in mainly CuO. The use of chitosan as a solid-state template/stabilizer induces the formation of CuO and Cu2O nanoparticles. Copper pyrophosphate (Cu2P2O7) deposited on Si using (IV) as the precursor exhibits single-crystal dots of average diameter 100 nm and heights equivalent to twice the unit cell b-axis (1.5–1.7 nm) and an areal density of 5.1–7.7 Gigadots/in.2. Cu2P2O7 deposited from precursor (VI) exhibits unique labyrinthine high surface area deposits. The morphology of CuO deposited on Si from pyrolysis of (VI) depends on the polymer/Cu meta ratio. Magnetic measurements performed using SQUID on CuO nanoparticle networks suggest superparamagnetic behavior. The results give insights into compositional, shape and morphological control of the as-formed nanostructures through the structure of the precursors.

Loading effect in copper(II) oxide cluster-surface-modified titanium(IV) oxide on visible- and UV-light activities

Cu(acac)2 is chemisorbed on TiO2 particles [P-25 (anatase/rutile = 4/1 w/w), Degussa] via coordination by surface Ti–OH groups without elimination of the acac ligand. Post-heating of the Cu(acac)2-adsorbed TiO2 at 773 K yields molecular scale copper(II) oxide clusters on the surface (CuO/TiO2). The copper loading amount (Γ/Cu ions nm–2) is controlled in a wide range by the Cu(acac)2 concentration and the chemisorption–calcination cycle number. Valence band (VB) X-ray photoelectron and photoluminescence spectroscopy indicated that the VB maximum of TiO2 rises up with increasing Γ, while vacant midgap levels are generated. The surface modification gives rise to visible-light activity and concomitant significant increase in UV-light activity for the degradation of 2-naphthol and p-cresol. Prolonging irradiation time leads to the decomposition to CO2, which increases in proportion to irradiation time. The photocatalytic activity strongly depends on the loading, Γ, with an optimum value of Γ for the photocatalytic activity. Electrochemical measurements suggest that the surface CuO clusters promote the reduction of adsorbed O2. First principles density functional theory simulations clearly show that, at Γ < 1, unoccupied Cu 3d levels are generated in the midgap region, and at Γ > 1, the VB maximum rises and the unoccupied Cu 3d levels move to the conduction band minimum of TiO2. These results suggest that visible-light excitation of CuO/TiO2 causes the bulk-to-surface interfacial electron transfer at low coverage and the surface-to-bulk interfacial electron transfer at high coverage. We conclude that the surface CuO clusters enhance the separation of photogenerated charge carriers by the interfacial electron transfer and the subsequent reduction of adsorbed O2 to achieve the compatibility of high levels of visible and UV-light activities.

Effects of Natural Organic Matter on the Dissolution Kinetics and Bioavailability of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

The rapid development of nanotechnology and wider applications of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in the last few decades have generated concerns regarding their environmental and health risks. After release into the environment, ENMs undergo aggregation, transformation, and, for metal-based nanomaterials, dissolution processes, which together determine their fate, bioavailability and toxicity to living organisms in the ecosystems. The rates of these processes are dependent on nanomaterial characteristics as well as complex environmental factors, including natural organic matter (NOM). As a ubiquitous component of aquatic systems, NOM plays a key role in the aggregation, dissolution and transformation of metal-based nanomaterials and colloids in aquatic environments.

The goal of this dissertation work is to investigate how NOM fractions with different chemical and molecular properties affect the dissolution kinetics of metal oxide ENMs, such as zinc oxide (ZnO) and copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs), and consequently their bioavailability to aquatic vertebrate, with Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) embryos as model organisms.

ZnO NPs are known to dissolve at relatively fast rates, and the rate of dissolution is influenced by water chemistry, including the presence of Zn-chelating ligands. A challenge, however, remains in quantifying the dissolution of ZnO NPs, particularly for time scales that are short enough to determine rates. This dissertation assessed the application of anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) with a hanging mercury drop electrode to directly measure the concentration of dissolved Zn in ZnO NP suspensions, without separation of the ZnO NPs from the aqueous phase. Dissolved zinc concentration measured by ASV ([Zn]ASV) was compared with that measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after ultracentrifugation ([Zn]ICP-MS), for four types of ZnO NPs with different coatings and primary particle diameters. For small ZnO NPs (4-5 nm), [Zn]ASV was 20% higher than [Zn]ICP-MS, suggesting that these small NPs contributed to the voltammetric measurement. For larger ZnO NPs (approximately 20 nm), [Zn]ASV was (79±19)% of [Zn]ICP-MS, despite the high concentrations of ZnO NPs in suspension, suggesting that ASV can be used to accurately measure the dissolution kinetics of ZnO NPs of this primary particle size.

Using the ASV technique to directly measure dissolved zinc concentration, we examined the effects of 16 different NOM isolates on the dissolution kinetics of ZnO NPs in buffered potassium chloride solution. The observed dissolution rate constants (kobs) and dissolved zinc concentrations at equilibrium increased linearly with NOM concentration (from 0 to 40 mg-C L-1) for Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA), Suwannee River fulvic acid and Pony Lake fulvic acid. When dissolution rates were compared for the 16 NOM isolates, kobs was positively correlated with certain properties of NOM, including specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), aromatic and carbonyl carbon contents, and molecular weight. Dissolution rate constants were negatively correlated to hydrogen/carbon ratio and aliphatic carbon content. The observed correlations indicate that aromatic carbon content is a key factor in determining the rate of NOM-promoted dissolution of ZnO NPs. NOM isolates with higher SUVA were also more effective at enhancing the colloidal stability of the NPs; however, the NOM-promoted dissolution was likely due to enhanced interactions between surface metal ions and NOM rather than smaller aggregate size.

Based on the above results, we designed experiments to quantitatively link the dissolution kinetics and bioavailability of CuO NPs to Gulf killifish embryos under the influence of NOM. The CuO NPs dissolved to varying degrees and at different rates in diluted 5‰ artificial seawater buffered to different pH (6.3-7.5), with or without selected NOM isolates at various concentrations (0.1-10 mg-C L-1). NOM isolates with higher SUVA and aromatic carbon content (such as SRHA) were more effective at promoting the dissolution of CuO NPs, as with ZnO NPs, especially at higher NOM concentrations. On the other hand, the presence of NOM decreased the bioavailability of dissolved Cu ions, with the uptake rate constant negatively correlated to dissolved organic carbon concentration ([DOC]) multiplied by SUVA, a combined parameter indicative of aromatic carbon concentration in the media. When the embryos were exposed to CuO NP suspension, changes in their Cu content were due to the uptake of both dissolved Cu ions and nanoparticulate CuO. The uptake rate constant of nanoparticulate CuO was also negatively correlated to [DOC]×SUVA, in a fashion roughly proportional to changes in dissolved Cu uptake rate constant. Thus, the ratio of uptake rate constants from dissolved Cu and nanoparticulate CuO (ranging from 12 to 22, on average 17±4) were insensitive to NOM type or concentration. Instead, the relative contributions of these two Cu forms were largely determined by the percentage of CuO NP that was dissolved.

Overall, this dissertation elucidated the important role that dissolved NOM plays in affecting the environmental fate and bioavailability of soluble metal-based nanomaterials. This dissertation work identified aromatic carbon content and its indicator SUVA as key NOM properties that influence the dissolution, aggregation and biouptake kinetics of metal oxide NPs and highlighted dissolution rate as a useful functional assay for assessing the relative contributions of dissolved and nanoparticulate forms to metal bioavailability. Findings of this dissertation work will be helpful for predicting the environmental risks of engineered nanomaterials.

En busca de una identidad : Algunas cuestiones acerca de la relación educación y trabajo

El presente trabajo es el primero de una secuencia que intenta describir trayectorias ocupacionales y educacionales de estudiantes universitarios, alumnos de la Cátedra de Sociología de la Educación. Este estudio tomará por unidad de análisis el individuo en este ámbito lo que puede significar una contribución en dos aspectos: en primer lugar en la profundización del conocimiento de los procesos de escolarización de los estudiantes universitarios y, seguidamente, en lo que estas trayectorias pueden contribuir para generar conocimientos específicos de la relación educación y trabajo en el campo de la sociología de la educación. La trayectoria analizada expone la situación de un estudiante trabajador afectado por la reestructuración del trabajo que corresponde al grupo de aquellos que parecen excluidos de ese nuevo orden. Desde una perspectiva interdisciplinaria de cuño socio-antropológico se analiza la trayectoria efectiva de un individuo en el mercado de la fuerza del trabajo industrial enfatizando las estrategias puestas en juego en la relación entre el campo laboral y el campo educacional. La metodología de análisis de trayectorias ocupacionales y educacionales intenta reconocer en las trayectoriasefectivas construidas por individuos en sus movimientos en el mercado de trabajo, el papel que se le asigna a la educación en cada momento y su relación con las estrategias y proyectos ocupacionales de los individuos y sus familias

En busca de una identidad : Algunas cuestiones acerca de la relación educación y trabajo

El presente trabajo es el primero de una secuencia que intenta describir trayectorias ocupacionales y educacionales de estudiantes universitarios, alumnos de la Cátedra de Sociología de la Educación. Este estudio tomará por unidad de análisis el individuo en este ámbito lo que puede significar una contribución en dos aspectos: en primer lugar en la profundización del conocimiento de los procesos de escolarización de los estudiantes universitarios y, seguidamente, en lo que estas trayectorias pueden contribuir para generar conocimientos específicos de la relación educación y trabajo en el campo de la sociología de la educación. La trayectoria analizada expone la situación de un estudiante trabajador afectado por la reestructuración del trabajo que corresponde al grupo de aquellos que parecen excluidos de ese nuevo orden. Desde una perspectiva interdisciplinaria de cuño socio-antropológico se analiza la trayectoria efectiva de un individuo en el mercado de la fuerza del trabajo industrial enfatizando las estrategias puestas en juego en la relación entre el campo laboral y el campo educacional. La metodología de análisis de trayectorias ocupacionales y educacionales intenta reconocer en las trayectoriasefectivas construidas por individuos en sus movimientos en el mercado de trabajo, el papel que se le asigna a la educación en cada momento y su relación con las estrategias y proyectos ocupacionales de los individuos y sus familias

En busca de una identidad : Algunas cuestiones acerca de la relación educación y trabajo

El presente trabajo es el primero de una secuencia que intenta describir trayectorias ocupacionales y educacionales de estudiantes universitarios, alumnos de la Cátedra de Sociología de la Educación. Este estudio tomará por unidad de análisis el individuo en este ámbito lo que puede significar una contribución en dos aspectos: en primer lugar en la profundización del conocimiento de los procesos de escolarización de los estudiantes universitarios y, seguidamente, en lo que estas trayectorias pueden contribuir para generar conocimientos específicos de la relación educación y trabajo en el campo de la sociología de la educación. La trayectoria analizada expone la situación de un estudiante trabajador afectado por la reestructuración del trabajo que corresponde al grupo de aquellos que parecen excluidos de ese nuevo orden. Desde una perspectiva interdisciplinaria de cuño socio-antropológico se analiza la trayectoria efectiva de un individuo en el mercado de la fuerza del trabajo industrial enfatizando las estrategias puestas en juego en la relación entre el campo laboral y el campo educacional. La metodología de análisis de trayectorias ocupacionales y educacionales intenta reconocer en las trayectoriasefectivas construidas por individuos en sus movimientos en el mercado de trabajo, el papel que se le asigna a la educación en cada momento y su relación con las estrategias y proyectos ocupacionales de los individuos y sus familias

Analysis of manganese nodules in lakes of Scotland

During the "Challenger" Deep-Sea Exploring Expedition a great many peculiar-looking manganese nodules or concretions were dredged from the floor of the ocean at great depths, chiefly in the Red Clay areas of the Pacific. In the present paper we propose to point out the distribution of the oxides of manganese in the geological series of rocks, in fresh and sea water, and in marine deposits, with special reference to our explorations in the lochs of the west of Scotland; to give an account of investigations undertaken to ascertain the source of the manganese present in marine deposits in the form of the higher oxides, and thereafter to discuss the various views that have been advanced to explain the formation and distribution of manganese concretions in marine deposits in general.

Kinetics and coverage dependent reaction mechanisms of the copper atomic layer deposition from copper dimethylamino-2-propoxide and diethylzinc

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been recognized as a promising method to deposit conformal and uniform thin film of copper for future electronic devices. However, many aspects of the reaction mechanism and the surface chemistry of copper ALD remain unclear. In this paper, we employ plane wave density functional theory (DFT) to study the transmetalation ALD reaction of copper dimethylamino-2-propoxide [Cu(dmap)2] and diethylzinc [Et2Zn] that was realized experimentally by Lee et al. [ Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 4536−4539]. We find that the Cu(dmap)2 molecule adsorbs and dissociates through the scission of one or two Cu–O bonds into surface-bound dmap and Cu(dmap) fragments during the copper pulse. As Et2Zn adsorbs on the surface covered with Cu(dmap) and dmap fragments, butane formation and desorption was found to be facilitated by the surrounding ligands, which leads to one reaction mechanism, while the migration of ethyl groups to the surface leads to another reaction mechanism. During both reaction mechanisms, ligand diffusion and reordering are generally endothermic processes, which may result in residual ligands blocking the surface sites at the end of the Et2Zn pulse, and in residual Zn being reduced and incorporated as an impurity. We also find that the nearby ligands play a cooperative role in lowering the activation energy for formation and desorption of byproducts, which explains the advantage of using organometallic precursors and reducing agents in Cu ALD. The ALD growth rate estimated for the mechanism is consistent with the experimental value of 0.2 Å/cycle. The proposed reaction mechanisms provide insight into ALD processes for copper and other transition metals.

Understanding the Reaction Mechanism of Nanocomposite Thermites

Nanocomposite energetics are a relatively new class of materials that combine nanoscale fuels and oxidizers to allow for the rapid release of large amounts of energy. In thermite systems (metal fuel with metal oxide oxidizer), the use of nanomaterials has been illustrated to increase reactivity by multiple orders of magnitude as a result of the higher specific surface area and smaller diffusion length scales. However, the highly dynamic and nanoscale processes intrinsic to these materials, as well as heating rate dependencies, have limited our understanding of the underlying processes that control reaction and propagation. For my dissertation, I have employed a variety of experimental approaches that have allowed me to probe these processes at heating rates representative of free combustion with the goal of understanding the fundamental mechanisms. Dynamic transmission electron microscopy (DTEM) was used to study the in situ morphological change that occurs in nanocomposite thermite materials subjected to rapid (10^11 K/s) heating. Aluminum nanoparticle (Al-NP) aggregates were found to lose their nanostructure through coalescence in as little as 10 ns, which is much faster than any other timescale of combustion. Further study of nanoscale reaction with CuO determined that a condensed phase interfacial reaction could occur within 0.5-5 µs in a manner consistent with bulk reaction, which supports that this mechanism plays a dominant role in the overall reaction process. Ta nanocomposites were also studied to determine if a high melting point (3280 K) affects the loss of nanostructure and rate of reaction. The condensed phase reaction pathway was further explored using reactive multilayers sputter deposited onto thin Pt wires to allow for temperature jump (T-Jump) heating at rates of ~5x10^5 K/s. High speed video and a time of flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) were used to observe ignition temperature and speciation as a function of bilayer thickness. The ignition process was modeled and a low activation energy for effective diffusivity was determined. T-Jump TOFMS along with constant volume combustion cell studies were also used to determine the effect of gas release in nanoparticle systems by comparing the reaction properties of CuO and Cu2O.

Nanostructured catalysts for the development of the hydrogen economy

La catalyse joue un rôle essentiel dans de nombreuses applications industrielles telles que les industries pétrochimique et biochimique, ainsi que dans la production de polymères et pour la protection de l’environnement. La conception et la fabrication de catalyseurs efficaces et rentables est une étape importante pour résoudre un certain nombre de problèmes des nouvelles technologies de conversion chimique et de stockage de l’énergie. L’objectif de cette thèse est le développement de voies de synthèse efficaces et simples pour fabriquer des catalyseurs performants à base de métaux non nobles et d’examiner les aspects fondamentaux concernant la relation entre structure/composition et performance catalytique, notamment dans des processus liés à la production et au stockage de l’hydrogène. Dans un premier temps, une série d’oxydes métalliques mixtes (Cu/CeO2, CuFe/CeO2, CuCo/CeO2, CuFe2O4, NiFe2O4) nanostructurés et poreux ont été synthétisés grâce à une méthode améliorée de nanocasting. Les matériaux Cu/CeO2 obtenus, dont la composition et la structure poreuse peuvent être contrôlées, ont ensuite été testés pour l’oxydation préférentielle du CO dans un flux d’hydrogène dans le but d’obtenir un combustible hydrogène de haute pureté. Les catalyseurs synthétisés présentent une activité et une sélectivité élevées lors de l’oxydation sélective du CO en CO2. Concernant la question du stockage d’hydrogène, une voie de synthèse a été trouvée pour le composét mixte CuO-NiO, démontrant une excellente performance catalytique comparable aux catalyseurs à base de métaux nobles pour la production d’hydrogène à partir de l’ammoniaborane (aussi appelé borazane). L’activité catalytique du catalyseur étudié dans cette réaction est fortement influencée par la nature des précurseurs métalliques, la composition et la température de traitement thermique utilisées pour la préparation du catalyseur. Enfin, des catalyseurs de Cu-Ni supportés sur silice colloïdale ou sur des particules de carbone, ayant une composition et une taille variable, ont été synthétisés par un simple procédé d’imprégnation. Les catalyseurs supportés sur carbone sont stables et très actifs à la fois dans l’hydrolyse du borazane et la décomposition de l’hydrazine aqueuse pour la production d’hydrogène. Il a été démontré qu’un catalyseur optimal peut être obtenu par le contrôle de l’effet bi-métallique, l’interaction métal-support, et la taille des particules de métal.

Engineering thin films of magnetic alloys and semiconductor oxides at the nanoscale

The thesis aims to exploit properties of thin films for applications such as spintronics, UV detection and gas sensing. Nanoscale thin films devices have myriad advantages and compatibility with Si-based integrated circuits processes. Two distinct classes of material systems are investigated, namely ferromagnetic thin films and semiconductor oxides. To aid the designing of devices, the surface properties of the thin films were investigated by using electron and photon characterization techniques including Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). These are complemented by nanometer resolved local proximal probes such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), magnetic force microscopy (MFM), electric force microscopy (EFM), and scanning tunneling microscopy to elucidate the interplay between stoichiometry, morphology, chemical states, crystallization, magnetism, optical transparency, and electronic properties. Specifically, I studied the effect of annealing on the surface stoichiometry of the CoFeB/Cu system by in-situ AES and discovered that magnetic nanoparticles with controllable areal density can be produced. This is a good alternative for producing nanoparticles using a maskless process. Additionally, I studied the behavior of magnetic domain walls of the low coercivity alloy CoFeB patterned nanowires. MFM measurement with the in-plane magnetic field showed that, compared to their permalloy counterparts, CoFeB nanowires require a much smaller magnetization switching field , making them promising for low-power-consumption domain wall motion based devices. With oxides, I studied CuO nanoparticles on SnO2 based UV photodetectors (PDs), and discovered that they promote the responsivity by facilitating charge transfer with the formed nanoheterojunctions. I also demonstrated UV PDs with spectrally tunable photoresponse with the bandgap engineered ZnMgO. The bandgap of the alloyed ZnMgO thin films was tailored by varying the Mg contents and AES was demonstrated as a surface scientific approach to assess the alloying of ZnMgO. With gas sensors, I discovered the rf-sputtered anatase-TiO2 thin films for a selective and sensitive NO2 detection at room temperature, under UV illumination. The implementation of UV enhances the responsivity, response and recovery rate of the TiO2 sensor towards NO2 significantly. Evident from the high resolution XPS and AFM studies, the surface contamination and morphology of the thin films degrade the gas sensing response. I also demonstrated that surface additive metal nanoparticles on thin films can improve the response and the selectivity of oxide based sensors. I employed nanometer-scale scanning probe microscopy to study a novel gas senor scheme consisting of gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires with functionalizing oxides layer. The results suggested that AFM together with EFM is capable of discriminating low-conductive materials at the nanoscale, providing a nondestructive method to quantitatively relate sensing response to the surface morphology.