983 resultados para METALLIC NANOPARTICLES
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Transportprozesse von anisotropen metallischen Nanopartikeln wie zum Beispiel Gold-Nanostäbchen in komplexen Flüssigkeiten und/oder begrenzten Geometrien spielen eine bedeutende Rolle in einer Vielzahl von biomedizinischen und industriellen Anwendungen. Ein Weg zu einem tiefen, grundlegenden Verständnis von Transportmechanismen ist die Verwendung zweier leistungsstarker Methoden - dynamischer Lichtstreuung (DLS) und resonanzverstärkter Lichtstreuung (REDLS) in der Nähe einer Grenzfläche. In dieser Arbeit wurden nanomolare Suspensionen von Gold-Nanostäbchen, stabilisiert mit Cetyltrimethylammoniumbromid (CTAB), mit DLS sowie in der Nähe einer Grenzfläche mit REDLS untersucht. Mit DLS wurde eine wellenlängenabhängige Verstärkung der anisotropen Streuung beobachtet, welche sich durch die Anregung von longitudinaler Oberflächenplasmonenresonanz ergibt. Die hohe Streuintensität nahe der longitudinalen Oberflächenplasmonenresonanzfrequenz für Stäbchen, welche parallel zum anregenden optischen Feld liegen, erlaubte die Auflösung der translationalen Anisotropie in einem isotropen Medium. Diese wellenlängenabhängige anisotrope Lichtstreuung ermöglicht neue Anwendungen wie etwa die Untersuchung der Dynamik einzelner Partikel in komplexen Umgebungen mittels depolarisierter dynamischer Lichtstreuung. In der Nähe einer Grenzfläche wurde eine starke Verlangsamung der translationalen Diffusion beobachtet. Hingegen zeigte sich für die Rotation zwar eine ausgeprägte aber weniger starke Verlangsamung. Um den möglichen Einfluss von Ladung auf der festen Grenzfläche zu untersuchen, wurde das Metall mit elektrisch neutralem Polymethylmethacrylat (PMMA) beschichtet. In einem weiteren Ansatz wurde das CTAB in der Gold-Nanostäbchen Lösung durch das kovalent gebundene 16-Mercaptohexadecyltrimethylammoniumbromid (MTAB) ersetzt. Daraus ergab sich eine deutlich geringere Verlangsamung.
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Die qualitative und quantitative Analyse von Biomolekülen hat in den letzten Jahren und Jahrzehnten immer mehr an Bedeutung gewonnen. Durch das Aufkommen und die kontinuierliche Weiterentwicklung neuer Separations- und Detektionsmethoden und deren Verbindung miteinander zu leistungsfähigen Einheiten, erlangte man Schritt für Schritt neue Erkenntnisse bei ihrer Untersuchung. Die Elementmassenspektrometrie als nachweisstarke Detektionsmethode wird von vielen wissenschaftlichen Arbeitsgruppen bei der Trennung und Quantifizierung von Proteinen und Metalloproteinen mittels Detektion der in den Biomolekülen vorkommenden Metalle und Heteroatome angewendet. Heteroatome (z.B. Schwefel, Phosphor) haben im Plasma des ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometer) schlechte Ionisationseigenschaften und dementsprechend deutlich höhere Nachweisgrenzen als Metalle. Ein Ansatz, schlecht oder nicht detektierbare Verbindungen (also solche, die keine Metalle oder Heteroatome enthalten) mit dem ICP-MS sichtbar zu machen, ist die Markierung der selbigen mit Metallionen oder -cluster. rnIn dieser Arbeit ist es gelungen, der Analyse ganz unterschiedlicher Substanzklassen, zum einen metallische Nanopartikel und zum anderen Proteine, neue Impulse zu geben und zukünftiges Potential bei der Anwendung gekoppelter Techniken zur Separation und Detektion aufzuzeigen. Durch die Verwendung einer alten, aber neu konzipierten Trenntechnik, der Gelelektrophorese (GE), und deren Kopplung an einen modernen Detektor, dem ICP-MS, kann die für die Proteinanalytik weit verbreitete Gelelektrophorese ihr enormes Potential bei der Trennung verschiedenster Verbindungsklassen mit der exzellenten Nachweisstärke und Elementspezifität des ICP-MS verbinden und dadurch mit deutlich weniger Arbeitsaufwand als bisher qualitative und auch quantitative Ergebnisse produzieren. Bisher war dies nur mit großem präparativem Aufwand unter Verwendung der laser ablation möglich. Bei der Analyse von Nanopartikeln konnte aufgezeigt werden, dass durch die GE-ICP-MS-Kopplung aufgrund der guten Trenneigenschaften der GE vorhandene Spezies bzw. Fraktionen voneinander separiert werden und mit Hilfe des ICP-MS Informationen auf atomarem Niveau gewonnen werden können. Es war möglich, das atomare Verhältnis der Metallatome im Kern und der Schwefelatome in der Ligandenhülle eines Nanopartikels zu bestimmen und damit die Größe des Partikels abzuschätzen. Auch konnte die Anzahl der Goldatome in einem dem Schmid-Cluster ähnlichen Nanopartikel bestimmt werden, was vorher nur mit Hilfe von MALDI-TOF möglich war. Bei der Analyse von Biomolekülen konnte auf einfache Weise der Phosphorylierungsgrad verschiedener Proteine bestimmt werden. Auch bei kleinen Molekülen erzielt die Gelelektrophorese ausgezeichnete Trennergebnisse, wie z. B. bei der Analyse verschiedener Brom- und Iodspezies.rnDie stöchiometrische Kopplung eines Proteins an einen Nanopartikel, ohne eine der beiden Verbindungen in einem größeren Maße zu verändern, stellte jedoch eine Herausforderung dar, die im Rahmen dieser Arbeit nicht vollständig gelöst werden konnte. Verschiedene Ansätze zur Kopplung der beiden Substanzen wurden erprobt, jedoch führte keine zu dem gewünschten Ergebnis einer stöchiometrisch vollständigen und spezifischen Modifikation eines Proteins mit einem Nanopartikel. Durch das Potential der GE-ICP-MS-Kopplung bei der Analyse beider Substanz-klassen und dem Beweis der Praktikabilität und Zuverlässigkeit der Methode ist jedoch der Grundstein für weitere Forschungen auf diesem Gebiet gelegt worden. Ist eine geeignete chemische Kopplung der beiden Substanzklassen gefunden und beherrscht, steht auf analytischer Seite eine leistungsstarke Kombination aus Trennung und Detektion zur Verfügung, um die Quantifizierung von Proteinen entscheidend zu verbessern.rn
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This thesis investigates metallic nanostructures exhibiting surface plasmon resonance for the amplification of fluorescence signal in sandwich immunoassays. In this approach, an analyte is captured by an antibody immobilized on a plasmonic structure and detected by a subsequently bound fluorophore labeled detection antibody. The highly confined field of surface plasmons originates from collective charge oscillations which are associated with high electromagnetic field enhancements at the metal surface and allow for greatly increased fluorescence signal from the attached fluorophores. This feature allows for improving the signal-to-noise ratio in fluorescence measurements and thus advancing the sensitivity of the sensor platform. In particular, the thesis presents two plasmonic nanostructures that amplify fluorescence signal in devices that rely on epifluorescence geometry, in which the fluorophore absorbs and emits light from the same direction perpendicular to the substrate surface.rnThe first is a crossed relief gold grating that supports propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and second, gold nanoparticles embedded in refractive index symmetric environment exhibiting collective localized surface plasmons (cLSPs). Finite-difference time-domain simulations are performed in order to design structures for the optimum amplification of established Cy5 and Alexa Fluor 647 fluorophore labels with the absorption and emission wavelengths in the red region of spectrum. The design takes into account combined effect of surface plasmon-enhanced excitation rate, directional surface plasmon-driven emission and modified quantum yield for characteristic distances in immunoassays. Homebuilt optical instruments are developed for the experimental observation of the surface plasmon mode spectrum, measurements of the angular distribution of surface plasmon-coupled fluorescence light and a setup mimicking commercial fluorescence reading systems in epifluorescence geometry.rnCrossed relief grating structures are prepared by interference lithography and multiple copies are made by UV nanoimprint lithography. The fabricated crossed diffraction gratings were utilized for sandwich immunoassay-based detection of the clinically relevant inflammation marker interleukin 6 (IL-6). The enhancement factor of the crossed grating reached EF=100 when compared to a flat gold substrate. This result is comparable to the highest reported enhancements to date, for fluorophores with relatively high intrinsic quantum yield. The measured enhancement factor excellently agrees with the predictions of the simulations and the mechanisms of the enhancement are explained in detail. Main contributions were the high electric field intensity enhancement (30-fold increase) and the directional fluorescence emission at (4-fold increase) compared to a flat gold substrate.rnCollective localized surface plasmons (cLSPs) hold potential for even stronger fluorescence enhancement of EF=1000, due to higher electric field intensity confinement. cLSPs are established by diffractive coupling of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of metallic nanoparticles and result in a narrow resonance. Due to the narrow resonance, it is hard to overlap the cLSPs mode with the absorption and emission bands of the used fluorophore, simultaneously. Therefore, a novel two resonance structure that supports SPP and cLSP modes was proposed. It consists of a 2D array of cylindrical gold nanoparticles above a low refractive index polymer and a silver film. A structure that supports the proposed SPP and cLSP modes was prepared by employing laser interference lithography and the measured mode spectrum was compared to simulation results.rn
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While cancer is one of the greatest challenges to public health care, prostate cancer was chosen as cancer model to develop a more accurate imaging assessment than those currently available. Indeed, an efficient imaging technique which considerably improves the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic and predicting the cancer behavior would be extremely valuable. The concept of optoacoustic imaging using home-made functionalized gold nanoparticles coupled to an antibody targeting PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen) was evaluated on different cancer cell lines to demonstrate the specificity of the designed platform. Two commonly used microscopy techniques (indirect fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy) showed their straightforwardness and versatility for the nanoparticle binding investigations regardless the composition of the investigated nanoobjects. Moreover most of the research laboratories and centers are equipped with fluorescence microscopes, so indirect fluorescence using Quantum dots can be used for any active targeting nanocarriers (polymers, ceramics, metals, etc.). The second technique based on backscattered electron is not only limited to gold nanoparticles but also suits for any study of metallic nanoparticles as the electronic density difference between the nanoparticles and binding surface stays high enough. Optoacoustic imaging was finally performed on a 3D cellular model to assess and prove the concept of the developed platform.
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This doctoral thesis explores some of the possibilities that near-field optics can bring to photovoltaics, and in particular to quantum-dot intermediate band solar cells (QD-IBSCs). Our main focus is the analytical optimization of the electric field distribution produced in the vicinity of single scattering particles, in order to produce the highest possible absorption enhancement in the photovoltaic medium in their surroundings. Near-field scattering structures have also been fabricated in laboratory, allowing the application of the previously studied theoretical concepts to real devices. We start by looking into the electrostatic scattering regime, which is only applicable to sub-wavelength sized particles. In this regime it was found that metallic nano-spheroids can produce absorption enhancements of about two orders of magnitude on the material in their vicinity, due to their strong plasmonic resonance. The frequency of such resonance can be tuned with the shape of the particles, allowing us to match it with the optimal transition energies of the intermediate band material. Since these metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) are to be inserted inside the cell photovoltaic medium, they should be coated by a thin insulating layer to prevent electron-hole recombination at their surface. This analysis is then generalized, using an analytical separation-of-variables method implemented in Mathematica7.0, to compute scattering by spheroids of any size and material. This code allowed the study of the scattering properties of wavelengthsized particles (mesoscopic regime), and it was verified that in this regime dielectric spheroids perform better than metallic. The light intensity scattered from such dielectric spheroids can have more than two orders of magnitude than the incident intensity, and the focal region in front of the particle can be shaped in several ways by changing the particle geometry and/or material. Experimental work was also performed in this PhD to implement in practice the concepts studied in the analysis of sub-wavelength MNPs. A wet-coating method was developed to self-assemble regular arrays of colloidal MNPs on the surface of several materials, such as silicon wafers, amorphous silicon films, gallium arsenide and glass. A series of thermal and chemical tests have been performed showing what treatments the nanoparticles can withstand for their embedment in a photovoltaic medium. MNPs arrays are then inserted in an amorphous silicon medium to study the effect of their plasmonic near-field enhancement on the absorption spectrum of the material. The self-assembled arrays of MNPs constructed in these experiments inspired a new strategy for fabricating IBSCs using colloidal quantum dots (CQDs). Such CQDs can be deposited in self-assembled monolayers, using procedures similar to those developed for the patterning of colloidal MNPs. The use of CQDs to form the intermediate band presents several important practical and physical advantages relative to the conventional dots epitaxially grown by the Stranski-Krastanov method. Besides, this provides a fast and inexpensive method for patterning binary arrays of QDs and MNPs, envisioned in the theoretical part of this thesis, in which the MNPs act as antennas focusing the light in the QDs and therefore boosting their absorption
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This work presents the first application of total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry, a new and powerful alternative analytical method, to evaluation of the bioaccumulation kinetics of gold nanorods (GNRs) in various tissues upon intravenous administration in mice. The analytical parameters for developed methodology by TXRF were evaluated by means of the parallel analysis of bovine liver certified reference material samples (BCR-185R) doped with 10 μg/g gold. The average values (n = 5) achieved for gold measurements in lyophilized tissue weight were as follows: recovery 99.7%, expanded uncertainty (k = 2) 7%, repeatability 1.7%, detection limit 112 ng/g, and quantification limit 370 ng/g. The GNR bioaccumulation kinetics was analyzed in several vital mammalian organs such as liver, spleen, brain, and lung at different times. Additionally, urine samples were analyzed to study the kinetics of elimination of the GNRs by this excretion route. The main achievement was clearly differentiating two kinds of behaviors. GNRs were quickly bioaccumulated by highly vascular filtration organs such as liver and spleen, while GNRs do not show a bioaccumulation rates in brain and lung for the period of time investigated. In parallel, urine also shows a lack of GNR accumulation. TXRF has proven to be a powerful, versatile, and precise analytical technique for the evaluation of GNRs content in biological systems and, in a more general way, for any kind of metallic nanoparticles.
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Estudos com tratamento hipertérmico de tumores utilizando nanopartículas metálicas têm sido realizados durante as últimas décadas e mostram resultados bons quanto à remissão de tumores, por vezes chegando à cura completa. O mesmo acontece em relação aos tratamentos baseados em ação fotodinâmica de fotossensibilizadores. Tratamentos aliando a terapia hipertérmica com nanopartículas de ouro e a terapia fotodinâmica com diversos fotossensibilizadores tem efeito sinérgico e apresenta excelente potencial terapêutico, em que pese serem necessários mais estudos para que uma nova terapia conjunta possa ser implementada. A proposta deste trabalho foi investigar esse efeito sinérgico utilizando nanobastões de ouro complexados com fotossensibilizadores. Após a síntese dos nanobastões pelo método de seeding, a eficácia do tratamento fotodinâmico e da terapia hipertérmica, separadamente, foi investigada. A metodologia do recobrimento dos nanobastões por fotossensibilizador, em um primeiro momento, não logrou êxito com a porfirina, porém com a ftalocianina tetracarboxilada se mostrou mais eficaz. A taxa de fotodegradação da ftalocianina em solução foi investigada como parâmetro para a eficiência em geração de oxigênio singlete. Após centrifugação e lavagem das nanopartículas, no entanto, evidenciou-se por espectrofotometria que o fotossensibilizador não permaneceu aderido aos nanobastões. Em um segundo momento, optamos por recobrir os nanobastões por porfirinas tetrassulfonadas, com ou sem grupamentos metil-glucamina. Após o processo de recobrimento, essas ftalocianinas formaram complexos iônicos com o CTAB que recobre os nanobastões. Os complexos nanobastões-ftalocianinas foram analisados por microscopia eletrônica de transmissão e as taxas de geração de oxigênio singlete e de radical hidroxil foram investigadas. Além disso, foram utilizadas para testes in vivo e in vitro com células de melanoma melanótico (B16F10) ou amelanótico (B16G4F). As células tumorais em cultura ou os tumores em camundongos C57BL6 foram irradiados com luz em 635 nm e os tumores foram observados por 15 dias após o tratamento. Houve evidente aumento na geração de oxigênio singlete por ambos fotossensibilizadores, e maior geração de radicais livres por parte do fotossensibilizador metilglucaminado. O oposto ocorre com o fotossensibilizador sem metilglucamina. Houve, também, moderada citotoxicidade no escuro quando células foram incubadas com nanopartículas recobertas por ftalocianinas ou não. Quando ativados pela luz, os complexos ftalocianinas-nanobastões desencadearam um aumento de 5ºC no meio de cultura das células, e a morte celular observada foi extensa (91% para a linhagem B16G4F e 95% para a linhagem B16F10). Tanto os resultados in vitro quanto os in vivo indicam que as propriedades das ftalocianinas testadas são melhoradas significativamente quando elas estão complexadas aos nanobastões. Este é um estudo pioneiro por utilizar duas porfirinas tetrassulfonadas específicas e por utilizar o mesmo comprimento de onda para a ativação dos fotossensibilizadores e nanobastões.
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The development of synthetic routes for the tailoring of efficient silica-based heterogeneous catalysts functionalized with coordination complexes or metallic nanoparticles has become a important goal in chemistry. Most of these techniques have been based on postsynthetic treatments of preformed silicas. Nevertheless, there is an emerging approach, so-called sol–gel coordination chemistry, based on co-condensation during the sol–gel preparation of the hybrid material of the corresponding complex or nanoparticle modified with terminal trialkoxysilane groups with a silica source (such as tetraethoxysilane) and in the presence of an adequate surfactant. This method leads to the production of new mesoporous metal complex-silica materials, with the metallic functionality incorporated homogeneously into the structure of the hybrid material, improving the stability of the coordination complex (which is protected by the silica network) and reducing the leaching of the active phase. This technique also offers the actual possibility of functionalizing silica or other metal oxides for a wider range of applications, such as photonics, sensing, and biochemical functions.
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Currently, one of the most attractive and desirable ways to solve the energy challenge is harvesting energy directly from the sunlight through the so-called artificial photosynthesis. Among the ternary oxides based on earth–abundant metals, bismuth vanadate has recently emerged as a promising photoanode. Herein, BiVO4 thin film photoanodes have been successfully synthesized by a modified metal-organic precursor decomposition method, followed by an annealing treatment. In an attempt to improve the photocatalytic properties of this semiconductor material for photoelectrochemical water oxidation, the electrodes have been modified (i) by doping with La and Ce (by modifying the composition of the BiVO4 precursor solution with the desired concentration of the doping element), and (ii) by surface modification with Au nanoparticles potentiostatically electrodeposited. La and Ce doping at concentrations of 1 and 2 at% in the BiVO4 precursor solution, respectively, enhances significantly the photoelectrocatalytic performance of BiVO4 without introducing important changes in either the material structure or the electrode morphology, according to XRD and SEM characterization. In addition, surface modification of the electrodes with Au nanoparticles further enhances the photocurrent as such metallic nanoparticles act as co-catalysts, promoting charge transfer at the semiconductor/solution interface. The combination of these two complementary ways of modifying the electrodes has resulted in a significant increase in the photoresponse, facilitating their potential application in artificial photosynthesis devices.
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The advancement of nanotechnology in the synthesis and characterisation of nanoparticles (NP's) has played an important role in the development of new technologies for various applications of nano-scale materials that have unique properties. The scientific development in the last decades in the field of nanotechnology has sought ceaselessly, the discovery of new materials for the most diverse applications, such as biomedical areas, chemical, optical, mechanical and textiles. The high bactericidal efficiency of metallic nanoparticles (Au and Ag), among other metals is well known, due to its ability to act in the DNA of fungi, viruses and bacteria, interrupting the process of cellular respiration, making them important means of study, in addition to its ability to protect UVA and UVB. The present work has as its main objective the implementation of an innovative method in the impregnation of nanoparticles of gold in textile substrate, functionalized with chitosan, by a dyeing process by exhaustion, with the control of temperature, time and velocity, thus obtaining microbial characteristics and UV protection. The exhausted substrates with colloidal solutions of NPAu's presented the colours, lilac and red (soybean knits) due to their surface plasmon peak around 520-540 nm. The NPAu's were synthesized chemically, using sodium citrate as a reducing agent and stabilizer. The material was previously cationised with chitosan, a natural polyelectrolyte, with the purpose of functionalising it to enhance the adsorption of colloid, at concentrations of 5, 7, 10 and 20 % of the bonding agent on the weight of the material (OWM). It was also observed, through an experimental design 23 , with 3 central points, which was the best process of exhaustion of the substrates, using the following factors: Time (min.), temperature (OC) and concentration of the colloid (%), having as a response to variable K/S (ABSORBÂNCIA/ Kubelka-Munk) of the fibres. Furthermore, it was evidenced as the best response, the following parameters: concentration 100%, temperature 70 ºC and time 30 minutes. The substrate with NPAu was characterised by XRD; thermal analysis using TGA; microstructural study using SEM/EDS and STEM, thus showing the NP on the surface of the substrate confirming the presence of the metal. The substrates showed higher washing fastness, antibacterial properties and UV radiation protection.
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Metal–organic frameworks, or MOFs, have emerged as a new class of porous materials made by linking metal and organic units. The easy preparation, structural and functional tunability, ultrahigh porosity, and enormous surface areas of MOFs have led to them becoming one of the fastest growing fields in chemistry. MOFs have potential applications in numerous areas such as clean energy, adsorption and separation processes, biomedicine, and sensing. One of the most promising areas of research with MOFs is heterogeneous catalysis. This thesis describes the design and synthesis of new, carboxylate-based MOFs for use as catalysts. These materials have been characterized using diffraction, spectroscopy, adsorption, and imaging techniques. The thesis has focused on preparing highly-stable MOFs for catalysis, using post-synthetic methods to modify the properties of these crystals, and applying a combination of characterization techniques to probe these complex materials. In the first part of this thesis, several new vanadium MOFs have been presented. The synthesis of MIL-88B(V), MIL-101(V), and MIL-47 were studied using ex situ techniques to gain insight into the synthesis–structure relationships. The properties of these materials have also been studied. In the second part, the use of MOFs as supports for metallic nanoparticles has been investigated. These materials, Pd@MIL-101–NH2(Cr) and Pd@MIL-88B–NH2(Cr), were used as catalysts for Suzuki–Miyaura and oxidation reactions, respectively. The effect of the base on the catalytic activity, crystallinity, porosity, and palladium distribution of Pd@MIL-101–NH2(Cr) was studied. In the final part, the introduction of transition-metal complexes into MOFs through different synthesis routes has been described. A ruthenium complex was grafted onto an aluminium MOF, MOF-253, and an iridium metallolinker was introduced into a zirconium MOF, UiO-68–2CH3. These materials were used as catalysts for alcohol oxidation and allylic alcohol isomerization, respectively.
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Among various optical sensing schemes, infrared spectroscopy is a powerful tool for detecting and determining the composition of complex organic samples since vibrational finger prints of all biomolecules and organic species are located in this window. This spectroscopic technique is simple, reliable, fast, non-destructive, cost-effective while having low sensitivity. Use of metallic nanoparticles in association with a good IR transparent sensing substrate, is one of the promising solutions to enhance the sensitivity. Chalcogenide glasses are promising substrate material because of their extended optical transmission window starting from the visible to the far infrared range up to 20 μm, high refractive index usually between 2 and 3 and high optical nonlinearity, which make them good candidates as IR sensors and optical ultrafast nonlinear devices. These glasses are favorable sensor materials for the infrared spectral range because of their high IR transparency to allow for low optical loss at wavelengths corresponding to the characteristic optical absorption bands of organic molecules, high refractive index for tight confinement of optical energy within the resonator structure, processibility into thin film form, chemical compatibility for adhesion of silver nano particles and thin films and resistance to the chemical environment to be sensed. Molecules adsorbed to silver island structures shows enhanced IR absorption spectra and the extent of enhancement is determined by many factors such as the size, density and morphology of silver structures, optical and dielectric properties of the substrate material etc.
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Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Física, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, 2015.
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In this study it was used two metallic oxides, Ta2O5 and TiO2, in order to obtain metallic powders of Ta and Ti through aluminothermic reduction ignited by plasma. Ta2O5 and TiO2 powders were mixed with Al in a planetary mill, using different milling times. A thermal analysis study (DTA and TG) was carried out, in order to know the temperature to react both the mixtures. Then, these mixtures were submitted to a hollow cathode discharge, where they were reacted using aluminothermic reduction ignited by plasma. The product obtained was characterized by XRD and SEM, where it was proven the possibility of producing these metallic particles, different from the conventional process, where metallic ingots are obtained. It was verified that the aluminothermic reduction ignited by plasma is able to produce metallic powders of Ta and Ti, and a higher efficiency was observed to the process with Ta2O5-Al mixtures. Among different microstructural aspects observed, it can be noted the presence of metallic nanoparticles trapped into an Al2O3 matrix, besides acicular structures (titanium) and dendritic structures (tantalum), which are a product characteristic from a fast cooling
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The influence of gold (similar to 35 nm diameter) as well as ReO3 (similar to 17 nm diameter) nanoparticles placed atop silicon photovoltaic devices on absorption and photocurrent generation has been investigated. The nanoparticles improve the power transmission into the semiconductor and consequently, the photocurrent response at wavelengths corresponding to plasmon absorption. An increase in short circuit current up to 4.5% under simulated solar irradiation was observed with the ReO3 nanoparticles, while the gold nanoparticles showed enhancements up to 6.5%. The increase in photocurrent is observed at wavelengths corresponding to the maxima in the surface plasmon resonance absorption spectra. (C) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics