Synthesis and characterization of a novel tube-in-tube nanostructured PPy/MnO{sub 2}/CNTs composite for supercapacitor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Juan, E-mail: lj-panpan@163.com; Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences; Que, Tingli

2013-02-15

Graphical abstract: A novel tube-in-tube nanostructured PPy/MnO{sub 2}/CNTs composite have been successfully fabricated. Its inner tubules are CNTs and the outer tubules are template-synthesized PPy. Most MnO{sub 2} nanoparticles are sandwiched between the inner and outer wall, some relatively large particles are also latched onto the outside wall of the PPy tube. The composite yields a good electrochemical reversibility through 1000 cycles’ cyclic voltammogram (CV) test and galvanostatic charge–discharge experiments at different current densities. Display Omitted Highlights: ► We fabricate a ternary organic–inorganic complex of PPy/MnO{sub 2}/CNTs composite. ► We characterize its morphological structures and properties by several techniques. ►more » The composite possesses the typical tube-in-tube nanostructures. ► Most MnO{sub 2} nanoparticles are sandwiched between the inner CNTs and outer PPy wall. ► The composite has good electrochemical reversibility for supercapacitor. -- Abstract: Ternary organic–inorganic complex of polypyrrole/manganese dioxide/carbon nanotubes (PPy/MnO{sub 2}/CNTs) composite was prepared by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization of pyrrole in the host of inorganic matrix of MnO{sub 2} and CNTs, using complex of methyl orange (MO)/FeCl{sub 3} was used as a reactive self-degraded soft-template. The morphological structures of the composite were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. All the results indicate that the PPy/MnO{sub 2}/CNTs composite possesses the typical tube-in-tube nanostructures: the inner tubules are CNTs and the outer tubules are template-synthesized PPy. MnO{sub 2} nanoparticles may either sandwich the space between the inner and outer tubules or directly latch onto the wall of the PPy tubes. The composite yields a good electrochemical reversibility through 1000 cycles’ cyclic voltammogram (CV) test in the potential range of −0.6 to 0.4 V and its specific capacitance was up to 402.7 F g{sup −1} at a current density of 1 A g{sup −1} in galvanostatic charge–discharge experiment.« less

Long-range single domain array of a 5 nm pattern of supramolecules via solvent annealing in a double-sandwich cell.

PubMed

Kwon, Kiok; Park, Kangho; Jung, Hee-Tae

2018-05-10

In nanotechnology and microelectronics research, the generation of an ultradense, single-grain nanostructure with a long-range lateral order is challenging. In this paper, we report upon a new solvent-annealing method using a double-sandwich confinement to promote the formation of a large-area, single-domain array (>0.3 × 0.3 mm2) of supramolecular cylinders with a small feature size (4.7 nm). The in situ GISAXS experiment result shows the ordering process during solvent evaporation. The diffusion of the solvent molecules led to the disassembly of the supramolecules confined between the top and bottom surfaces and their subsequent mobilization, thereby producing a highly ordered hexagonal array of supramolecular materials under the double-sandwich confinement upon solvent evaporation. In addition, two key factors were found to be crucial in this process for generating highly-ordered supramolecular building blocks: (i) the presence of a top coat during solvent evaporation to provide a geometric confinement template, and (ii) the control of the solvent evaporation rate during the solvent evaporation step to provide the dendrimer sufficient time to self-assemble into the highly ordered state over a large area. Our developed approach, which can be extended to be used for a large family of supramolecules, is of critical importance in providing a new bottom-up lithographic method based on supramolecular self-assembly.

Largely Enhanced Single-molecule Fluorescence in Plasmonic Nanogaps formed by Hybrid Silver Nanostructures

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jian; Lakowicz, Joseph R.

2013-01-01

It has been suggested that narrow gaps between metallic nanostructures can be practical for producing large field enhancement. We design a hybrid silver nanostructure geometry in which fluorescent emitters are sandwiched between silver nanoparticles and silver island film (SIF). A desired number of polyelectrolyte layers are deposited on the SIF surface before the self-assembly of a second silver nanoparticle layer. Layer-by-layer configuration provides a well-defined dye position. It allows us to study the photophyical behaviors of fluorophores in the resulting gap at the single molecule level. The enhancement factor of a fluorophore located in the gap is much higher than those on silver surfaces alone and on glass. These effects may be used for increased detectability of single molecules bound to surfaces which contain metallic structures for either biophysical studies or high sensitivity assays. PMID:23373787

A micro oxygen sensor based on a nano sol-gel TiO2 thin film.

PubMed

Wang, Hairong; Chen, Lei; Wang, Jiaxin; Sun, Quantao; Zhao, Yulong

2014-09-03

An oxygen gas microsensor based on nanostructured sol-gel TiO2 thin films with a buried Pd layer was developed on a silicon substrate. The nanostructured titania thin films for O2 sensors were prepared by the sol-gel process and became anatase after heat treatment. A sandwich TiO2 square board with an area of 350 μm × 350 μm was defined by both wet etching and dry etching processes and the wet one was applied in the final process due to its advantages of easy control for the final structure. A pair of 150 nm Pt micro interdigitated electrodes with 50 nm Ti buffer layer was fabricated on the board by a lift-off process. The sensor chip was tested in a furnace with changing the O2 concentration from 1.0% to 20% by monitoring its electrical resistance. Results showed that after several testing cycles the sensor's output becomes stable, and its sensitivity is 0.054 with deviation 2.65 × 10(-4) and hysteresis is 8.5%. Due to its simple fabrication process, the sensor has potential for application in environmental monitoring, where lower power consumption and small size are required.

Hydrogenated TiO 2@reduced graphene oxide sandwich-like nanosheets for high voltage supercapacitor applications

DOE PAGES

Pham, Viet Hung; Nguyen-Phan, Thuy-Duong; Tong, Xiao; ...

2017-10-09

Hydrogenated TiO 2 has recently attracted considerable attention as potential electrode materials for supercapacitors due to its abundance, low cost, high conductivity, remarkable rate capability, and outstanding long-term cycling stability. In this paper, we demonstrate the synthesis of hydrogenated TiO 2 nanoparticles anchored on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (HTG) in the form of sandwich-like nanosheet composites. Further, we explored their implementation as electrode materials for high voltage, symmetric supercapacitors, operating in the voltage window of 0–1.8 V. The HTGs were prepared by a sol-gel method, followed by hydrogenation in the temperature range 300–500 °C. Of the prepared composites, HTG preparedmore » at 400 °C exhibited the largest specific capacitance of 51 F g -1 at the current density of 1.0 A g -1 and excellent rate capability with 82.5% capacitance retention as the current density increased 40-fold, from 0.5 to 20.0 A g -1. HTG's excellent rate capability was attributed to its sandwich-like nanostructure, in which ultrasmall hydrogenated TiO 2 nanoparticles densely anchored onto both surfaces of the two-dimensional reduced graphene oxide sheets. Moreover, HTG-based supercapacitors also exhibited long-term cycling stability with the retention over 80% of its initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles. Finally, these properties suggest that HTG is a promising electrode material for the scalable manufacture of high-performance supercapacitors.« less

Hydrogenated TiO 2@reduced graphene oxide sandwich-like nanosheets for high voltage supercapacitor applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pham, Viet Hung; Nguyen-Phan, Thuy-Duong; Tong, Xiao

Hydrogenated TiO 2 has recently attracted considerable attention as potential electrode materials for supercapacitors due to its abundance, low cost, high conductivity, remarkable rate capability, and outstanding long-term cycling stability. In this paper, we demonstrate the synthesis of hydrogenated TiO 2 nanoparticles anchored on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (HTG) in the form of sandwich-like nanosheet composites. Further, we explored their implementation as electrode materials for high voltage, symmetric supercapacitors, operating in the voltage window of 0–1.8 V. The HTGs were prepared by a sol-gel method, followed by hydrogenation in the temperature range 300–500 °C. Of the prepared composites, HTG preparedmore » at 400 °C exhibited the largest specific capacitance of 51 F g -1 at the current density of 1.0 A g -1 and excellent rate capability with 82.5% capacitance retention as the current density increased 40-fold, from 0.5 to 20.0 A g -1. HTG's excellent rate capability was attributed to its sandwich-like nanostructure, in which ultrasmall hydrogenated TiO 2 nanoparticles densely anchored onto both surfaces of the two-dimensional reduced graphene oxide sheets. Moreover, HTG-based supercapacitors also exhibited long-term cycling stability with the retention over 80% of its initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles. Finally, these properties suggest that HTG is a promising electrode material for the scalable manufacture of high-performance supercapacitors.« less

Design of Pd/PANI/Pd sandwich-structured nanotube array catalysts with special shape effects and synergistic effects for ethanol electrooxidation.

PubMed

Wang, An-Liang; Xu, Han; Feng, Jin-Xian; Ding, Liang-Xin; Tong, Ye-Xiang; Li, Gao-Ren

2013-07-24

Low cost, high activity, and long-term durability are the main requirements for commercializing fuel cell electrocatalysts. Despite tremendous efforts, developing non-Pt anode electrocatalysts with high activity and long-term durability at low cost remains a significant technical challenge. Here we report a new type of hybrid Pd/PANI/Pd sandwich-structured nanotube array (SNTA) to exploit shape effects and synergistic effects of Pd-PANI composites for the oxidation of small organic molecules for direct alcohol fuel cells. These synthesized Pd/PANI/Pd SNTAs exhibit significantly improved electrocatalytic activity and durability compared with Pd NTAs and commercial Pd/C catalysts. The unique SNTAs provide fast transport and short diffusion paths for electroactive species and high utilization rate of catalysts. Besides the merits of nanotube arrays, the improved electrocatalytic activity and durability are especially attributed to the special Pd/PANI/Pd sandwich-like nanostructures, which results in electron delocalization between Pd d orbitals and PANI π-conjugated ligands and in electron transfer from Pd to PANI.

Synthesis and characterization of Graphene oxide/Zinc oxide nanorods sandwich structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boukhoubza, I.; Khenfouch, M.; Achehboune, M.; Mouthudi, B.; Zorkani, I.; Jorio, A.

2018-03-01

Graphene-ZnO nanostructures composite materials have been used as very efficient candidates for various optoelectronic applications. Nowadays, the composite structure formation of ZnO nanostructures with graphene or graphene oxide is a novel, cost effective and efficient approach to control the morphology, surface defect states, band gap of ZnO nanocrystals. In this paper, we have prepared ZnO nanorods between two layers graphene oxide (GO/ZnO NRs/GO) via a simple hydrothermal method. Their morphology, structural and optical properties have been investigated. The obtained results of our composites GO/ZnO NRs/GO presented here showing an enhancement in the structural and optical properties. Thus may hold great promise to the development of the optoelectronic devices.

Graphene oxide as a structure-directing agent for the two-dimensional interface engineering of sandwich-like graphene-g-C3N4 hybrid nanostructures with enhanced visible-light photoreduction of CO2 to methane.

PubMed

Ong, Wee-Jun; Tan, Lling-Lling; Chai, Siang-Piao; Yong, Siek-Ting

2015-01-18

A facile one-pot impregnation-thermal reduction strategy was employed to fabricate sandwich-like graphene-g-C3N4 (GCN) nanocomposites using urea and graphene oxide as precursors. The GCN sample exhibited a slight red shift of the absorption band edge attributed to the formation of a C-O-C bond as a covalent cross linker between graphene and g-C3N4. The GCN sample demonstrated high visible-light photoactivity towards CO2 reduction under ambient conditions, exhibiting a 2.3-fold enhancement over pure g-C3N4. This was ascribed to the inhibition of electron-hole pair recombination by graphene, which increased the charge transfer.

A Micro Oxygen Sensor Based on a Nano Sol-Gel TiO2 Thin Film

PubMed Central

Wang, Hairong; Chen, Lei; Wang, Jiaxin; Sun, Quantao; Zhao, Yulong

2014-01-01

An oxygen gas microsensor based on nanostructured sol-gel TiO2 thin films with a buried Pd layer was developed on a silicon substrate. The nanostructured titania thin films for O2 sensors were prepared by the sol-gel process and became anatase after heat treatment. A sandwich TiO2 square board with an area of 350 μm × 350 μm was defined by both wet etching and dry etching processes and the wet one was applied in the final process due to its advantages of easy control for the final structure. A pair of 150 nm Pt micro interdigitated electrodes with 50 nm Ti buffer layer was fabricated on the board by a lift-off process. The sensor chip was tested in a furnace with changing the O2 concentration from 1.0% to 20% by monitoring its electrical resistance. Results showed that after several testing cycles the sensor's output becomes stable, and its sensitivity is 0.054 with deviation 2.65 × 10−4 and hysteresis is 8.5%. Due to its simple fabrication process, the sensor has potential for application in environmental monitoring, where lower power consumption and small size are required. PMID:25192312

Ballistic Spin Field Effect Transistor Based on Silicon Nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osintsev, Dmitri; Sverdlov, Viktor; Stanojevic, Zlatan; Selberherr, Siegfried

2011-03-01

We investigate the properties of ballistic spin field-effect transistors build on silicon nanowires. An accurate description of the conduction band based on the k . p} model is necessary in thin and narrow silicon nanostructures. The subband effective mass and subband splitting dependence on the nanowire dimensions is analyzed and used in the transport calculations. The spin transistor is formed by sandwiching the nanowire between two ferromagnetic metallic contacts. Delta-function barriers at the interfaces between the contacts and the silicon channel are introduced. The major contribution to the electric field-dependent spin-orbit interaction in confined silicon systems is due to the interface-induced inversion asymmetry which is of the Dresselhaus type. We study the current and conductance through the system for the contacts being in parallel and anti-parallel configurations. Differences between the [100] and [110] orientated structures are investigated in details. This work is supported by the European Research Council through the grant #247056 MOSILSPIN.

Theoretical Background and Prognostic Modeling for Benchmarking SHM Sensors for Composite Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

minimum flaw size can be detected by the existing SHM based monitoring methods. Sandwich panels with foam , WebCore and honeycomb structures were...Whether it be hat stiffened, corrugated sandwich, honeycomb sandwich, or foam filled sandwich, all composite structures have one basic handicap in...based monitoring methods. Sandwich panels with foam , WebCore and honeycomb structures were considered for use in this study. Eigenmode frequency

The influence of gravity on the distribution of the deposit formed onto a substrate by sessile, hanging, and sandwiched hanging drop evaporation.

PubMed

Sandu, Ion; Fleaca, Claudiu Teodor

2011-06-15

The focus of the present article is the study of the influence of gravity on the particle deposition profiles on a solid substrate during the evaporation of sessile, hanging and sandwiched hanging drops of colloidal particle suspensions. For concentrations of nanoparticles in the colloidal solutions in the range 0.0001-1 wt.%, highly diluted suspensions will preferentially form rings while concentrated suspensions will preferentially form spots in both sessile and hanging drop evaporation. For intermediary concentrations, the particle deposition profiles will depend on the nanoparticle aggregation dynamics in the suspension during the evaporation process, gravity and on the detailed evaporation geometry. The evaporation of a drop of toluene/carbon nanoparticle suspension hanging from a pendant water drop will leave on the substrate a circular spot with no visible external ring. By contrast, a clear external ring is formed on the substrate by the sessile evaporation of a similar drop of suspension sandwiched between a water drop and the substrate. From the application viewpoint, these processes can be used to create preferential electrical conductive carbon networks and contacts for arrays of self-assembled nanostructures fabricated on solid substrates as well as on flexible polymeric substrates. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tin-based anode materials with well-designed architectures for next-generation lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lehao; Xie, Fan; Lyu, Jing; Zhao, Tingkai; Li, Tiehu; Choi, Bong Gill

2016-07-01

Tin (Sn) has long been considered to be a promising replacement anode material for graphite in next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), because of its attractive comprehensive advantages of high gravimetric/volumetric capacities, environmental benignity, low cost, high safety, etc. However, Sn-based anodes suffer from severe capacity fading resulting mainly from their large volume expansions/contractions during lithiation/delithiation and subsequent pulverization, coalescence, delamination from current collectors, and poor Li+/electron transport. To circumvent these issues, a number of extraordinary architectures from nanostructures to anchored, layered/sandwich, core-shell, porous and even integrated structures have been exquisitely constructed to enhance the cycling performance. To cater for the rapid development of Sn-based anodes, we summarize the advances made in structural design principles, fabrication methods, morphological features and battery performance with focus on material structures. In addition, we identify the associated challenges and problems presented by recently-developed anodes and offer suggestions and perspectives for facilitating their practical implementations in next-generation LIBs.

Sandwich-structured nanohybrid paper based on controllable growth of nanostructured MnO2 on ionic liquid functionalized graphene paper as a flexible supercapacitor electrode.

PubMed

Sun, Yimin; Fang, Zheng; Wang, Chenxu; Ariyawansha, K R Rakhitha Malinga; Zhou, Aijun; Duan, Hongwei

2015-05-07

A sandwich-structured flexible supercapacitor electrode has been developed based on MnO2 nanonest (MNN) modified ionic liquid (IL) functionalized graphene paper (GP), which is fabricated by functionalizing graphene nanosheets with an amine-terminated IL (i.e., 1-(3-aminopropyl)-3-methylimidazolium bromide) to form freestanding IL functionalized GP (IL-GP), and then modifying IL-GP with a unique MNN structure via controllable template-free ultrasonic electrodeposition. The as-obtained MNN modified IL-GP (MNN/IL-GP) inherits the excellent pseudocapacity of the metal oxide, the high conductivity and electric double layer charging/discharging of IL-graphene composites, and therefore shows an enhanced supercapacitor performance. The maximum specific capacitance of 411 F g(-1) can be achieved by chronopotentiometry at a current density of 1 A g(-1). Meanwhile, the MNN/IL-GP electrode exhibits excellent rate capability and cycling stability, its specific capacitance is maintained at 70% as the current densities increase from 1 to 20 A g(-1) and 85% at a current density of 10 A g(-1) after 10 000 cycles. More importantly, the MNN/IL-GP displays distinguished mechanical stability and flexibility for device packaging, although its thickness is merely 8 μm. These features collectively demonstrate the potential of MNN/IL-GP as a high-performance paper electrode for flexible and lightweight and highly efficient electrochemical capacitor applications.

Three-dimensional thin film for lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors.

PubMed

Yang, Yang; Peng, Zhiwei; Wang, Gunuk; Ruan, Gedeng; Fan, Xiujun; Li, Lei; Fei, Huilong; Hauge, Robert H; Tour, James M

2014-07-22

Three-dimensional heterogeneously nanostructured thin-film electrodes were fabricated by using Ta2O5 nanotubes as a framework to support carbon-onion-coated Fe2O3 nanoparticles along the surface of the nanotubes. Carbon onion layers function as microelectrodes to separate the two different metal oxides and form a nanoscale 3-D sandwich structure. In this way, space-charge layers were formed at the phase boundaries, and it provides additional energy storage by charge separation. These 3-D nanostructured thin films deliver both excellent Li-ion battery properties (stabilized at 800 mAh cm(–3)) and supercapacitor (up to 18.2 mF cm(–2)) performance owing to the synergistic effects of the heterogeneous structure. Thus, Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors are successfully assembled into the same electrode, which is promising for next generation hybrid energy storage and delivery devices.

Natural melanin composites by layer-by-layer assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eom, Taesik; Shim, Bong Sub

2015-04-01

Melanin is an electrically conductive and biocompatible material, because their conjugated backbone structures provide conducting pathways from human skin, eyes, brain, and beyond. So there is a potential of using as materials for the neural interfaces and the implantable devices. Extracted from Sepia officinalis ink, our natural melanin was uniformly dispersed in mostly polar solvents such as water and alcohols. Then, the dispersed melanin was further fabricated to nano-thin layered composites by the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly technique. Combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), the melanin nanoparticles behave as an LBL counterpart to from finely tuned nanostructured films. The LBL process can adjust the smart performances of the composites by varying the layering conditions and sandwich thickness. We further demonstrated the melanin loading degree of stacked layers, combination nanostructures, electrical properties, and biocompatibility of the resulting composites by UV-vis spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), multimeter, and in-vitro cell test of PC12, respectively.

The effect of FeF2 on the magneto-optic response in FeF2/Fe/FeF2 sandwiches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pištora, J.; Lesňák, M.; Lišková, E.; Višňovský, Š.; Harward, I.; Maslankiewicz, P.; Balin, K.; Celinski, Z.; Mistrík, J.; Yamaguchi, T.; Lopusnik, R.; Vlček, J.

2010-04-01

The room temperature optical constants n and k of MBE grown FeF2 films are reported. Because of poor chemical stability, FeF2 had to be coated with a protective Au layer. Reflection spectral ellipsometry in the photon energy range between 1.3 and 5.2 eV was performed on structures with a typical profile Au(0.5 nm)/FeF2(120 nm)/Au(30 nm)/Ag(20 nm)/Fe(0.6 nm) grown on GaAs(0 0 1) substrate. The spectra of n and k in FeF2 were subsequently employed in the design of FeF2/Fe/FeF2 sandwiches considered as magneto-optic (MO) sensors for weak microwave currents. Their MO response was evaluated using reflection MO (Kerr) spectroscopy at polar magnetization. The present results may be of interest in MO studies of magnetic nanostructures with Fe/FeF2/Fe, including MO magnetometry and MO magnetic domain imaging.

High-temperature-stable and regenerable catalysts: platinum nanoparticles in aligned mesoporous silica wells.

PubMed

Xiao, Chaoxian; Maligal-Ganesh, Raghu V; Li, Tao; Qi, Zhiyuan; Guo, Zhiyong; Brashler, Kyle T; Goes, Shannon; Li, Xinle; Goh, Tian Wei; Winans, Randall E; Huang, Wenyu

2013-10-01

We report the synthesis, structural characterization, thermal stability study, and regeneration of nanostructured catalysts made of 2.9 nm Pt nanoparticles sandwiched between a 180 nm SiO2 core and a mesoporous SiO2 shell. The SiO2 shell consists of 2.5 nm channels that are aligned perpendicular to the surface of the SiO2 core. The nanostructure mimics Pt nanoparticles that sit in mesoporous SiO2 wells (Pt@MSWs). By using synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering, we were able to prove the ordered structure of the aligned mesoporous shell. By using high-temperature cyclohexane dehydrogenation as a model reaction, we found that the Pt@MSWs of different well depths showed stable activity at 500 °C after the induction period. Conversely, a control catalyst, SiO2 -sphere-supported Pt nanoparticles without a mesoporous SiO2 shell (Pt/SiO2 ), was deactivated. We deliberately deactivated the Pt@MSWs catalyst with a 50 nm deep well by using carbon deposition induced by a low H2 /cyclohexane ratio. The deactivated Pt@MSWs catalyst was regenerated by calcination at 500 °C with 20 % O2 balanced with He. After the regeneration treatments, the activity of the Pt@MSWs catalyst was fully restored. Our results suggest that the nanostructured catalysts-Pt nanoparticles confined inside mesoporous SiO2 wells-are stable and regenerable for treatments and reactions that require high temperatures. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tuning the conductance of H2O@C60 by position of the encapsulated H2O

PubMed Central

Zhu, Chengbo; Wang, Xiaolin

2015-01-01

The change of conductance of single-molecule junction in response to various external stimuli is the fundamental mechanism for the single-molecule electronic devices with multiple functionalities. We propose the concept that the conductance of molecular systems can be tuned from inside. The conductance is varied in C60 with encapsulated H2O, H2O@C60. The transport properties of the H2O@C60-based nanostructure sandwiched between electrodes are studied using first-principles calculations combined with the non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism. Our results show that the conductance of the H2O@C60 is sensitive to the position of the H2O and its dipole direction inside the cage with changes in conductance up to 20%. Our study paves a way for the H2O@C60 molecule to be a new platform for novel molecule-based electronics and sensors. PMID:26643873

Protein detection using biobarcodes.

PubMed

Müller, Uwe R

2006-10-01

Over the past 50 years the development of assays for the detection of protein analytes has been driven by continuing demands for higher levels of sensitivity and multiplexing. The result has been a progression of sandwich-type immunoassays, starting with simple radioisotopic, colorimetric, or fluorescent labeling systems to include various enzymatic or nanostructure-based signal amplification schemes, with a concomitant sensitivity increase of over 1 million fold. Multiplexing of samples and tests has been enabled by microplate and microarray platforms, respectively, or lately by various molecular barcoding systems. Two different platforms have emerged as the current front-runners by combining a nucleic acid amplification step with the standard two-sided immunoassay. In both, the captured protein analyte is replaced by a multiplicity of oligonucleotides that serve as surrogate targets. One of these platforms employs DNA or RNA polymerases for the amplification step, while detection is by fluorescence. The other is based on gold nanoparticles for both amplification as well as detection. The latter technology, now termed Biobarcode, is completely enzyme-free and offers potentially much higher multiplexing power.

High renewable content sandwich structures based on flax-basalt hybrids and biobased epoxy polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colomina, S.; Boronat, T.; Fenollar, O.; Sánchez-Nacher, L.; Balart, R.

2014-05-01

In the last years, a growing interest in the development of high environmental efficiency materials has been detected and this situation is more accentuated in the field of polymers and polymer composites. In this work, green composite sandwich structures with high renewable content have been developed with core cork materials. The base resin for composites was a biobased epoxy resin derived from epoxidized vegetable oils. Hybrid basalt-flax fabrics have been used as reinforcements for composites and the influence of the stacking sequence has been evaluated in order to optimize the appropriate laminate structure for the sandwich bases. Core cork materials with different thickness have been used to evaluate performance of sandwich structures thus leading to high renewable content composite sandwich structures. Results show that position of basalt fabrics plays a key role in flexural fracture of sandwich structures due to differences in stiffness between flax and basalt fibers.

Development, testing, and numerical modeling of a foam sandwich biocomposite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chachra, Ricky

This study develops a novel sandwich composite material using plant based materials for potential use in nonstructural building applications. The face sheets comprise woven hemp fabric and a sap based epoxy, while the core comprises castor oil based foam with waste rice hulls as reinforcement. Mechanical properties of the individual materials are tested in uniaxial compression and tension for the foam and hemp, respectively. The sandwich composite is tested in 3 point bending. Flexural results are compared to a finite element model developed in the commercial software Abaqus, and the validated model is then used to investigate alternate sandwich geometries. Sandwich model responses are compared to existing standards for nonstructural building panels, showing that the novel material is roughly half the strength of equally thick drywall. When space limitations are not an issue, a double thickness sandwich biocomposite is found to be a structurally acceptable replacement for standard gypsum drywall.

High-efficiency and multi-frequency polarization converters based on graphene metasurface with twisting double L-shaped unit structure array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ming; Xiao, Xiaofei; Chang, Linzi; Wang, Congyun; Zhao, Deping

2017-07-01

In this work, a high-efficiency and tunable dual-frequency reflective polarization converter composed of graphene metasurface with twisting double L-shaped unit is firstly realized. Numerical results demonstrate that the device can convert a linearly polarized wave to its cross-polarized wave, and meantime it can also convert to a circularly polarized wave. Subsequently, one thickness of 500 nm SiO2 layer sandwiched by two graphene metasurfaces with similar pattern is stacked on the top of the two-layered structure, a four-frequency efficient reflective polarization converters is realized. Above all, those working frequencies can also be dynamically tuned within a large frequency range by adjusting the Fermi energy of the graphene, without reoptimizing and refabricating the nanostructures, which paves a novel way toward developing a controllable polarization converter for mid-infrared applications.

Micro- and nanostructured electro-active polymer actuators as smart muscles for incontinence treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osmani, Bekim; Töpper, Tino; Deschenaux, Christian; Nohava, Jiri; Weiss, Florian M.; Leung, Vanessa; Müller, Bert

2015-02-01

Treatments of severe incontinence are currently based on purely mechanical systems that generally result in revision after three to five years. Our goal is to develop a prototype acting in a natural-analogue manner as artificial muscle, which is based on electro-active polymers. Dielectric actuators have outstanding performances including millisecond response times, mechanical strains of more than 10 % and power to mass densities similar to natural muscles. They basically consist of polymer films sandwiched between two compliant electrodes. The incompressible but elastic polymer film transduces the electrical energy into mechanical work according to the Maxwell pressure. Available polymer films are micrometers thick and voltages as large as kV are necessary to obtain 10 % strain. For medical implants, polymer films should be nanometer thin to realize actuation below 48 V. The metallic electrodes have to be stretchable to follow the strain of 10 % and remain conductive. Recent results on the stress/strain behavior of anisotropic EAP-cantilevers have shown dependencies on metal electrode preparation. We have investigated tunable anisotropic micro- and nanostructures for metallic electrodes. They show a preferred actuation direction with improved stress-strain behavior. The bending of the cantilever has been characterized by the laser beam deflection method. The impact of the electrode on the effective Young's Modulus is measured using an Ultra Nanoindentation Tester with an integrated reference system for soft polymer surfaces. Once ten thousand layers of nanometer-thin EAP actuators are available, devices beyond the envisioned application will flood the market.

Cascaded plasmon-plasmon coupling mediated energy transfer across stratified metal-dielectric nanostructures

PubMed Central

Golmakaniyoon, Sepideh; Hernandez-Martinez, Pedro Ludwig; Demir, Hilmi Volkan; Sun, Xiao Wei

2016-01-01

Surface plasmon (SP) coupling has been successfully applied to nonradiative energy transfer via exciton-plasmon-exciton coupling in conventionally sandwiched donor-metal film-acceptor configurations. However, these structures lack the desired efficiency and suffer poor photoemission due to the high energy loss. Here, we show that the cascaded exciton-plasmon-plasmon-exciton coupling in stratified architecture enables an efficient energy transfer mechanism. The overlaps of the surface plasmon modes at the metal-dielectric and dielectric-metal interfaces allow for strong cross-coupling in comparison with the single metal film configuration. The proposed architecture has been demonstrated through the analytical modeling and numerical simulation of an oscillating dipole near the stratified nanostructure of metal-dielectric-metal-acceptor. Consistent with theoretical and numerical results, experimental measurements confirm at least 50% plasmon resonance energy transfer enhancement in the donor-metal-dielectric-metal-acceptor compared to the donor-metal-acceptor structure. Cascaded plasmon-plasmon coupling enables record high efficiency for exciton transfer through metallic structures. PMID:27698422

Deterministic growth of AgTCNQ and CuTCNQ nanowires on large-area reduced graphene oxide films for flexible optoelectronics.

PubMed

Zhang, Shuai; Lu, Zhufeng; Gu, Li; Cai, Liling; Cao, Xuebo

2013-11-22

We describe a synchronous reduction and assembly procedure to directly produce large-area reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films sandwiched by a high density of metal nanoparticles (silver and copper). Further, by using the sandwiched metal NPs as sources, networks consisting of AgTCNQ and CuTCNQ nanowires were deterministically grown from the rGO films, forming structurally and functionally integrated rGO/metal-TCNQ hybrid films with outstanding flexibility, bending endurance, and electrical stability. Interestingly, due to the p-type nature of the rGO film and the n-type nature of the metal-TCNQ NWs, the hybrid films are essentially thin-film p-n junctions which are useful in ubiquitous electronics and optoelectronics. Measurements of the optoelectronic properties demonstrate that the rGO/metal-TCNQ hybrid films exhibit substantial photoconductivity and highly reproducible photoswitching behaviours. The present approach may open the door to the versatile and deterministic integration of functional nanostructures into flexible conducting substrates and provide an important step towards producing low-cost and high-performance soft electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of sandwich-structured polyaniline-wrapped silicon oxide/carbon nanotubes for lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hui; Zou, Yongjin; Huang, Liyan; Yin, Hao; Xi, Chengqiao; Chen, Xin; Shentu, Hongwei; Li, Chao; Zhang, Jingjing; Lv, ChunJu; Fan, Meiqiang

2018-06-01

Sandwich-structured carbon nanotubes, silicon oxide, and polyaniline (hereafter denoted as CNTs/SiOx/PANI) were prepared by combining a sol-gel method, magnesiothermic reduction at 250 °C, and chemical oxidative polymerization. The CNTs, SiOx and PANI in the composite was 16 wt%, 51 wt% and 33 wt%, respectively. The CNTs/SiOx/PANI electrodes exhibited excellent cycle and high-rate performance as anodes in Li-ion batteries, including charge/discharge capacities of 1156/1178 mAh g-1 after 60 cycles at 0.2 A g-1 current density and 728/725 mAh g-1 at 8 A g-1 current density. The improvement was due to the synergy between CNTs and PANI. The SiOx scattered on the CNTs core and coated by PANI improved its conductivity and accommodated the volume change during repeated lithiation/delithiation cycles. This simple synthesis provided a scalable route for the large-scale production of CNTs/SiOx/PANI nanostructures, with various applications such as in Li-ion batteries.

Triplex molecular layers with nonlinear nanomechanical response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsukruk, V. V.; Ahn, H.-S.; Kim, D.; Sidorenko, A.

2002-06-01

The molecular design of surface structures with built-in mechanisms for mechanical energy dissipation under nanomechanical deformation and compression resistance provided superior nanoscale wear stability. We designed robust, well-defined trilayer surface nanostructures chemically grafted to a silicon oxide surface with an effective composite modulus of about 1 GPa. The total thickness was within 20-30 nm and included an 8 nm rubber layer sandwiched between two hard layers. The rubber layer provides an effective mechanism for energy dissipation, facilitated by nonlinear, giant, reversible elastic deformations of the rubber matrix, restoring the initial status due to the presence of an effective nanodomain network and chemical grafting within the rubber matrix.

Zinc oxide piezoelectric nano-generators for low frequency applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nour, E. S.; Nur, O.; Willander, M.

2017-06-01

Piezoelectric Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanogenerators (NGs) have been fabricated for low frequency (<100 Hz) energy harvesting applications. Different types of NGs based on ZnO nanostructures have been carefully developed, and studied for testing under different kinds of low frequency mechanical deformations. Well aligned ZnO nanowires (NWs) possessing high piezoelectric coefficient were synthesized on flexible substrates using the low temperature hydrothermal route. These ZnO NWs were then used in different configurations to demonstrate different low frequency energy harvesting devices. Using piezoelectric ZnO NWs, we started with the fabrication of a sandwiched NG for a handwriting enabled energy harvesting device based on a thin silver layer coated paper substrate. Such device configurations can be used for the development of electronic programmable smart paper. Further, we developed this NG to work as a triggered sensor for a wireless system using footstep pressure. These studies demonstrate the feasibility of using a ZnO NWs piezoelectric NG as a low-frequency self- powered sensor, with potential applications in wireless sensor networks. After that, we investigated and fabricated a sensor on a PEDOT: PSS plastic substrate using a one-sided growth and double-sided growth technique. For the first growth technique, the fabricated NG has been used as a sensor for an acceleration system; while the fabricated NG by the second technique works as an anisotropic direction sensor. This fabricated configuration showed stability for sensing and can be used in surveillance, security, and auto-Mobil applications. In addition to that, we investigated the fabrication of a sandwiched NG on plastic substrates. Finally, we demonstrated that doping ZnO NWs with extrinsic elements (such as Ag) will lead to the reduction of the piezoelectric effect due to the loss of crystal symmetry. A brief summary into future opportunities and challenges is also presented.

A facile approach for reducing the working voltage of Au/TiO2/Au nanostructured memristors by enhancing the local electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arab Bafrani, Hamidreza; Ebrahimi, Mahdi; Bagheri Shouraki, Saeed; Moshfegh, Alireza Z.

2018-01-01

Memristor devices have attracted tremendous interest due to different applications ranging from nonvolatile data storage to neuromorphic computing units. Exploring the role of surface roughness of the bottom electrode (BE)/active layer interface provides useful guidelines for the optimization of the memristor switching performance. This study focuses on the effect of surface roughness of the BE electrode on the switching characteristics of Au/TiO2/Au three-layer memristor devices. An optimized wet-etching treatment condition was found to modify the surface roughness of the Au BE where the measurement results indicate that the roughness of the Au BE is affected by both duration time and solution concentrations of the wet-etching process. Then we fabricated arrays of TiO2-based nanostructured memristors sandwiched between two sets of cross-bar Au electrode lines (junction area 900 μm2). The results revealed a reduction in the working voltages in current-voltage characteristic of the device performance when increasing the surface roughness at the Au(BE)/TiO2 active layer interface. The set voltage of the device (Vset) significantly decreased from 2.26-1.93 V when we increased the interface roughness from 4.2-13.1 nm. The present work provides information for better understanding the switching mechanism of titanium-dioxide-based devices, and it can be inferred that enhancing the roughness of the Au BE/TiO2 active layer interface leads to a localized non-uniform electric field distribution that plays a vital role in reducing the energy consumption of the device.

Micro- and nanostructured electro-active polymer actuators as smart muscles for incontinence treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Osmani, Bekim, E-mail: bekim.osmani@unibas.ch, E-mail: tino.toepper@unibas.ch; Töpper, Tino, E-mail: bekim.osmani@unibas.ch, E-mail: tino.toepper@unibas.ch; Weiss, Florian M., E-mail: vanessa.leung@unibas.ch, E-mail: bert.mueller@unibas.ch

2015-02-17

Treatments of severe incontinence are currently based on purely mechanical systems that generally result in revision after three to five years. Our goal is to develop a prototype acting in a natural-analogue manner as artificial muscle, which is based on electro-active polymers. Dielectric actuators have outstanding performances including millisecond response times, mechanical strains of more than 10 % and power to mass densities similar to natural muscles. They basically consist of polymer films sandwiched between two compliant electrodes. The incompressible but elastic polymer film transduces the electrical energy into mechanical work according to the Maxwell pressure. Available polymer films aremore » micrometers thick and voltages as large as kV are necessary to obtain 10 % strain. For medical implants, polymer films should be nanometer thin to realize actuation below 48 V. The metallic electrodes have to be stretchable to follow the strain of 10 % and remain conductive. Recent results on the stress/strain behavior of anisotropic EAP-cantilevers have shown dependencies on metal electrode preparation. We have investigated tunable anisotropic micro- and nanostructures for metallic electrodes. They show a preferred actuation direction with improved stress-strain behavior. The bending of the cantilever has been characterized by the laser beam deflection method. The impact of the electrode on the effective Young's Modulus is measured using an Ultra Nanoindentation Tester with an integrated reference system for soft polymer surfaces. Once ten thousand layers of nanometer-thin EAP actuators are available, devices beyond the envisioned application will flood the market.« less

Target-regulated proximity hybridization with three-way DNA junction for in situ enhanced electronic detection of marine biotoxin based on isothermal cycling signal amplification strategy.

PubMed

Liu, Bingqian; Chen, Jinfeng; Wei, Qiaohua; Zhang, Bing; Zhang, Lan; Tang, Dianping

2015-07-15

A new signal amplification strategy based on target-regulated DNA proximity hybridization (TRPH) reaction accompanying formation of three-way DNA junction was designed for electronic detection of Microcystin-LR (MC-LR used in this case), coupling with junction-induced isothermal cycling signal amplification. Initially, a sandwiched-type immunoreaction was carried out in a low-cost PCR tube between anti-MC-LR mAb1 antibody-labeled DNA1 (mAb1-DNA1) and anti-MC-LR mAb2-labeled DNA2 (mAb2-DNA2) in the presence of target to form a three-way DNA junction. Then, the junction could undergo an unbiased strand displacement reaction on an h-like DNA nanostructure-modified electrode (labeled with methylene blue redox tag on the short DNA strand), thereby resulting in the dissociation of methylene blue-labeled signal DNA from the electrode. The newly formed double-stranded DNA could be cleaved again by exonuclease III, and the released three-way DNA junction retriggered the strand-displacement reaction with h-like DNA nanostructures for junction recycling. During the strand-displacement reaction, numerous methylene blue-labeled DNA strands were far away from the electrode, thus decreasing the detectable electrochemical signal within the applied potentials. Under optimal conditions, the TRPH-based immunosensing system exhibited good electrochemical responses for detecting target MC-LR at a concentration as low as 1.0ngkg(-1) (1.0ppt). Additionally, the precision, reproducibility, specificity and method accuracy were also investigated with acceptable results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Composite panels based on woven sandwich-fabric preforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Vuure, Aart Willem

A new type of sandwich material was investigated, based on woven sandwich-fabric preforms. Because of the integrally woven nature of the sandwich-fabric the skin-core debonding resistance of panels and structures based on the preform is very high. As the sandwich-fabrics are produced by a large scale textile weaving process (velvet weaving or distance weaving) and already a preform of a sandwich is available, the cost of the final panel or structure can potentially stay limited. Most attention in this work is focussed on the mechanical performance of sandwich-fabric panels. The high skin-core debonding resistance was verified and also indications were found of a good damage tolerance. Both unfoamed and foamed panels were evaluated and compared with existing sandwich panels. Microstructural parameters investigated for unfoamed cores are pile length, pile density, woven pile angles, degree of pile stretching, tilt angles of the piles induced during panel production and resin content and distribution. For foamed panels it is especially the foam density which has an important influence. There appears to be a synergistic effect between piles and foam in the sandwich core, leading to very acceptable mechanical properties. For panels for (semi) structural applications, foaming is almost indispensable once the panel thickness is higher than about 15 mm. To understand the behaviour of foamed panels, attention was paid to the modelling of the mechanics of pure foam. The foam microstructure was modelled with the model of an anisotropic tetrakaidecahedron. The mechanical properties of unfoamed panels were modelled with the help of finite elements. A detailed geometrical description of the core layout was made which was incorporated into a preprocessing program for a finite element code. Attention is paid to the production of panels based on the woven preforms. A newly developed Adhesive Foil Stretching process was investigated. Also the foaming of panels was studied. A lot of attention was paid to a special application in the field of structural damping, where sandwich-fabric panels could be used as spacer in a constrained layer application. The vibrations and damping were modelled with the help of finite elements.

ITO-TiN-ITO Sandwiches for Near-Infrared Plasmonic Materials.

PubMed

Chen, Chaonan; Wang, Zhewei; Wu, Ke; Chong, Haining; Xu, Zemin; Ye, Hui

2018-05-02

Indium tin oxide (ITO)-based sandwich structures with the insertion of ultrathin (<10 nm) titanium nitride (TiN) are investigated as near-infrared (NIR) plasmonic materials. The structural, electrical, and optical properties reveal the improvement of the sandwich structures stemmed from TiN insertion. TiN is a well-established alternative to noble metals such as gold, elevating the electron conductivity of sandwich structures as its thickness increases. Dielectric permittivities of TiN and top ITO layers show TiN-thickness-dependent properties, which lead to moderate and tunable effective permittivities for the sandwiches. The surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) of the ITO-TiN-ITO sandwich at the telecommunication window (1480-1570 nm) are activated by prism coupling using Kretschmann configuration. Compared with pure ITO films or sandwiches with metal insertion, the reflectivity dip for sandwiches with TiN is relatively deeper and wider, indicating the enhanced coupling ability in plasmonic materials for telecommunications. The SPP spatial profile, penetration depth, and degree of confinement, as well as the quality factors, demonstrate the applicability of such sandwiches for NIR plasmonic materials in various devices.

Development and Mechanical Behavior of FML/Aluminium Foam Sandwiches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baştürk, S. B.; Tanoğlu, M.

2013-10-01

In this study, the Fiber-Metal Laminates (FMLs) containing glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFPP) and aluminum (Al) sheet were consolidated with Al foam cores for preparing the sandwich panels. The aim of this article is the comparison of the flexural properties of FML/Al foam sandwich panels bonded with various surface modification approaches (silane treatment and combination of silane treatment with polypropylene (PP) based film addition). The FML/foam sandwich systems were fabricated by laminating the components in a mould at 200 °C under 1.5 MPa pressure. The energy absorbtion capacities and flexural mechanical properties of the prepared sandwich systems were evaluated by mechanical tests. Experiments were performed on samples of varying foam thicknesses (8, 20 and 30 mm). The bonding among the sandwich components were achieved by various surface modification techniques. The Al sheet/Al foam sandwiches were also consolidated by bonding the components with an epoxy adhesive to reveal the effect of GFPP on the flexural performance of the sandwich structures.

Rapid and label-free detection of protein a by aptamer-tethered porous silicon nanostructures.

PubMed

Urmann, Katharina; Reich, Peggy; Walter, Johanna-Gabriela; Beckmann, Dieter; Segal, Ester; Scheper, Thomas

2017-09-10

Protein A, which is secreted by and displayed on the cell membrane of Staphylococcus aureus is an important biomarker for S. aureus. Thus, its rapid and specific detection may facilitate the pathogen identification and initiation of proper treatment. Herein, we present a simple, label-free and rapid optical biosensor enabling specific detection of protein A. Protein A-binding aptamer serves as the capture probe and is immobilized onto a nanostructured porous silicon thin film, which serves as the optical transducer element. We demonstrate high sensitivity of the biosensor with a linear detection range between 8 and 23μM. The apparent dissociation constant was determined as 13.98μM and the LoD is 3.17μM. Harnessing the affinity between protein A and antibodies, a sandwich assay format was developed to amplify the optical signal associated with protein A capture by the aptamer. Using this approach, we increase the sensitivity of the biosensor, resulting in a three times lower LoD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Qualitative and quantitative detection of T7 bacteriophages using paper based sandwich ELISA.

PubMed

Khan, Mohidus Samad; Pande, Tripti; van de Ven, Theo G M

2015-08-01

Viruses cause many infectious diseases and consequently epidemic health threats. Paper based diagnostics and filters can offer attractive options for detecting and deactivating pathogens. However, due to their infectious characteristics, virus detection using paper diagnostics is more challenging compared to the detection of bacteria, enzymes, DNA or antigens. The major objective of this study was to prepare reliable, degradable and low cost paper diagnostics to detect viruses, without using sophisticated optical or microfluidic analytical instruments. T7 bacteriophage was used as a model virus. A paper based sandwich ELISA technique was developed to detect and quantify the T7 phages in solution. The paper based sandwich ELISA detected T7 phage concentrations as low as 100 pfu/mL to as high as 10(9) pfu/mL. The compatibility of paper based sandwich ELISA with the conventional titre count was tested using T7 phage solutions of unknown concentrations. The paper based sandwich ELISA technique is faster and economical compared to the traditional detection techniques. Therefore, with proper calibration and right reagents, and by following the biosafety regulations, the paper based technique can be said to be compatible and economical to the sophisticated laboratory diagnostic techniques applied to detect pathogenic viruses and other microorganisms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two-Dimensional Porous Sandwich-Like C/Si-Graphene-Si/C Nanosheets for Superior Lithium Storage.

PubMed

Yao, Weiqi; Chen, Jie; Zhan, Liang; Wang, Yanli; Yang, Shubin

2017-11-15

A novel two-dimensional porous sandwich-like Si/carbon nanosheet is designed and successfully fabricated as an anode for superior lithium storage, where a porous Si nanofilm grows on the two sides of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and is then coated with a carbon layer (denoted as C/Si-rGO-Si/C). The coexistence of micropores and mesopores in C/Si-rGO-Si/C nanosheets offers a rapid Li + diffusion rate, and the porous Si provides a short pathway for electric transportation. Meanwhile, the coated carbon layer not only can promote to form a stable SEI layer, but also can improve the electric conductivity of nanoscale Si coupled with rGO. Thus, the unique nanostructures offer the resultant C/Si-rGO-Si/C electrode with high reversible capacity (1187 mA h g -1 after 200 cycles at 0.2 A g -1 ), excellent cycle stability (894 mA h g -1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g -1 ), and high rate capability (694 mA h g -1 at 5 A g -1 , 447 mA h g -1 at 10 A g -1 ).

The development and evaluation of advanced Kevlar sandwich structure for application to rotorcraft airframes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minguet, Pierre; Llorente, Steven; Fay, Russell

1991-05-01

The results of an evaluation of DuPont Kevlar-based material systems in sandwich structure designed for rotorcraft primary airframe structure are presented in this report. The focus of this work has been to evaluate the durability and compression strength of thin-gage Kevlar sandwich panels and investigate means of improvement. It was found that sandwich panels made with Kevlar 149 fibers can be as strong as Kevlar 49 structures but have reduced compression stiffness properties at typical operating strain levels. Thermal cycling was found to affect permeability but not strength in thin facesheet sandwich structure. Any increased permeability can be prevented with the use of an interleaf or surfacing plies. The surfacing plies investigated also had a beneficial effect on sandwich strength due to their stabilizing effect on the facesheet in compression. Finally, a previously developed model was used to analyze the residual strength of a sandwich panel after impact damage.

Absorption enhancement in type-II coupled quantum rings due to existence of quasi-bound states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Chi-Ti; Lin, Shih-Yen; Chang, Shu-Wei

2018-02-01

The absorption of type-II nanostructures is often weaker than type-I counterpart due to spatially separated electrons and holes. We model the bound-to-continuum absorption of type-II quantum rings (QRs) using a multiband source-radiation approach using the retarded Green function in the cylindrical coordinate system. The selection rules due to the circular symmetry for allowed transitions of absorption are utilized. The bound-tocontinuum absorptions of type-II GaSb coupled and uncoupled QRs embedded in GaAs matrix are compared here. The GaSb QRs act as energy barriers for electrons but potential wells for holes. For the coupled QR structure, the region sandwiched between two QRs forms a potential reservoir of quasi-bound electrons. Electrons in these states, though look like bound ones, would ultimately tunnel out of the reservoir through barriers. Multiband perfectly-matched layers are introduced to model the tunneling of quasi-bound states into open space. Resonance peaks are observed on the absorption spectra of type-II coupled QRs due to the formation of quasi-bound states in conduction bands, but no resonance exist in the uncoupled QR. The tunneling time of these metastable states can be extracted from the resonance and is in the order of ten femtoseconds. Absorption of coupled QRs is significantly enhanced as compared to that of uncoupled ones in certain spectral windows of interest. These features may improve the performance of photon detectors and photovoltaic devices based on type-II semiconductor nanostructures.

A dual resolution measurement based Monte Carlo simulation technique for detailed dose analysis of small volume organs in the skull base region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Chi-Yuan; Tung, Chuan-Jung; Chao, Tsi-Chain; Lin, Mu-Han; Lee, Chung-Chi

2014-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine dose distribution of a skull base tumor and surrounding critical structures in response to high dose intensity-modulated radiosurgery (IMRS) with Monte Carlo (MC) simulation using a dual resolution sandwich phantom. The measurement-based Monte Carlo (MBMC) method (Lin et al., 2009) was adopted for the study. The major components of the MBMC technique involve (1) the BEAMnrc code for beam transport through the treatment head of a Varian 21EX linear accelerator, (2) the DOSXYZnrc code for patient dose simulation and (3) an EPID-measured efficiency map which describes non-uniform fluence distribution of the IMRS treatment beam. For the simulated case, five isocentric 6 MV photon beams were designed to deliver a total dose of 1200 cGy in two fractions to the skull base tumor. A sandwich phantom for the MBMC simulation was created based on the patient's CT scan of a skull base tumor [gross tumor volume (GTV)=8.4 cm3] near the right 8th cranial nerve. The phantom, consisted of a 1.2-cm thick skull base region, had a voxel resolution of 0.05×0.05×0.1 cm3 and was sandwiched in between 0.05×0.05×0.3 cm3 slices of a head phantom. A coarser 0.2×0.2×0.3 cm3 single resolution (SR) phantom was also created for comparison with the sandwich phantom. A particle history of 3×108 for each beam was used for simulations of both the SR and the sandwich phantoms to achieve a statistical uncertainty of <2%. Our study showed that the planning target volume (PTV) receiving at least 95% of the prescribed dose (VPTV95) was 96.9%, 96.7% and 99.9% for the TPS, SR, and sandwich phantom, respectively. The maximum and mean doses to large organs such as the PTV, brain stem, and parotid gland for the TPS, SR and sandwich MC simulations did not show any significant difference; however, significant dose differences were observed for very small structures like the right 8th cranial nerve, right cochlea, right malleus and right semicircular canal. Dose volume histogram (DVH) analyses revealed much smoother DVH curves for the dual resolution sandwich phantom when compared to the SR phantom. In conclusion, MBMC simulations using a dual resolution sandwich phantom improved simulation spatial resolution for skull base IMRS therapy. More detailed dose analyses for small critical structures can be made available to help in clinical judgment.

Biomimetic membrane arrays on cast hydrogel supports.

PubMed

Roerdink Lander, Monique; Ibragimova, Sania; Rein, Christian; Vogel, Jörg; Stibius, Karin; Geschke, Oliver; Perry, Mark; Hélix-Nielsen, Claus

2011-06-07

Lipid bilayers are intrinsically fragile and require mechanical support in technical applications based on biomimetic membranes. Tethering the lipid bilayer membranes to solid substrates, either directly through covalent or ionic substrate-lipid links or indirectly on substrate-supported cushions, provides mechanical support but at the cost of small molecule transport through the membrane-support sandwich. To stabilize biomimetic membranes while allowing transport through a membrane-support sandwich, we have investigated the feasibility of using an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE)/hydrogel sandwich as the support. The sandwich is realized as a perforated surface-treated ETFE film onto which a hydrogel composite support structure is cast. We report a simple method to prepare arrays of lipid bilayer membranes with low intrinsic electrical conductance on the highly permeable, self-supporting ETFE/hydrogel sandwiches. We demonstrate how the ETFE/hydrogel sandwich support promotes rapid self-thinning of lipid bilayers suitable for hosting membrane-spanning proteins.

Vertically-aligned sandwich nanowires enhance the photoelectrochemical reduction of hydrogen peroxide: hierarchical formation on carbon nanotubes of cadmium sulfide quantum dots and Prussian blue nanocoatings.

PubMed

Gong, Kuanping

2015-07-01

We describe a vertically-aligned array of sandwiched nanowires comprising Prussian blue (PB) nanocoating-carbon nanotube (CNT) core-shell structures with CdS particles positioning at the core/shell interface, viz. PB/CdS/CNT. The PB/CdS/CNT electrode thus constructed are noticeable in synchronically harvesting photon-, ionic-, and chemical-energies, respectively, from visible light radiation, K(+) uptaking and releasing, and the reduction of H2O2. In 0.2 M K2SO4 aqueous solution, the photoelectrocatalytic reduction of 1.5 mM H2O2 at PB/CdS/CNT delivered the current density as high as 1.91 mA/cm(2) at reduced overpotential, that is, three times that at the Pt/C. This superb performance is causally linked to the judicious choice of materials and their assembly into defining sandwich nanostructures wherein the three components closely cooperate with each other in the photoelectrocatalytic reduction of H2O2, including photo-induced charge separation in CdS, spontaneous electron injection into PB due to its relatively low Fermi level, and the electrocatalytic reduction of H2O2 by PB via an electrochemical-chemical-electrochemical reaction mechanism. The structural alignment of PB/CdS/CNT ensures the simplest pathway for the mass diffusion and electron shuttle, and a high surface area accessible to the chemical and electrochemical reactions, so as to minimize the concentration- and electrochemical-polarization and thus ensure the fast overall kinetics of the electrode reaction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering from AgNP-graphene-AgNP sandwiched nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jian; Xu, Yijun; Xu, Pengyu; Pan, Zhenghui; Chen, Sheng; Shen, Qishen; Zhan, Li; Zhang, Yuegang; Ni, Weihai

2015-10-01

We developed a facile approach toward hybrid AgNP-graphene-AgNP sandwiched structures using self-organized monolayered AgNPs from wet chemical synthesis for the optimized enhancement of the Raman response of monolayer graphene. We demonstrate that the Raman scattering of graphene can be enhanced 530 fold in the hybrid structure. The Raman enhancement is sensitively dependent on the hybrid structure, incident angle, and excitation wavelength. A systematic simulation is performed, which well explains the enhancement mechanism. Our study indicates that the enhancement resulted from the plasmonic coupling between the AgNPs on the opposite sides of graphene. Our approach towards ideal substrates offers great potential to produce a ``hot surface'' for enhancing the Raman response of two-dimensional materials.We developed a facile approach toward hybrid AgNP-graphene-AgNP sandwiched structures using self-organized monolayered AgNPs from wet chemical synthesis for the optimized enhancement of the Raman response of monolayer graphene. We demonstrate that the Raman scattering of graphene can be enhanced 530 fold in the hybrid structure. The Raman enhancement is sensitively dependent on the hybrid structure, incident angle, and excitation wavelength. A systematic simulation is performed, which well explains the enhancement mechanism. Our study indicates that the enhancement resulted from the plasmonic coupling between the AgNPs on the opposite sides of graphene. Our approach towards ideal substrates offers great potential to produce a ``hot surface'' for enhancing the Raman response of two-dimensional materials. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Additional SEM images, electric field enhancement profiles, Raman scattering spectra, and structure-dependent peak ratios. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr04500b

Dielectrophoretic behaviours of microdroplet sandwiched between LN substrates

PubMed Central

Chen, Lipin; Li, Shaobei; Fan, Bolin; Yan, Wenbo; Wang, Donghui; Shi, Lihong; Chen, Hongjian; Ban, Dechao; Sun, Shihao

2016-01-01

We demonstrate a sandwich configuration for microfluidic manipulation in LiNbO3 platform based on photovoltaic effect, and the behaviours of dielectric microdroplet under this sandwich configuration are investigated. It is found that the microdroplet can generate in the form of liquid bridge inside the LiNbO3-based sandwich structure under the governing dielectrophoretic force, and the dynamic process of microdroplet generation highly depends on the substrate combinations. Dynamic features found for different combinations are explained by the different electrostatic field distribution basing on the finite-element simulation results. Moreover, the electrostatic field required by the microdroplet generation is estimated through meniscus evolution and it is found in good agreement with the simulated electrostatic field inside the sandwich gap. Several kinds of microdroplet manipulations are attempted in this work. We suggest that the local dielectrophoretic force acting on the microdroplet depends on the distribution of the accumulated irradiation dosage. Without using any additional pumping or jetting actuator, the microdroplet can be step-moved, deformed or patterned by the inconsecutive dot-irradiation scheme, as well as elastically stretched out and back or smoothly guided in a designed pass by the consecutive line-irradiation scheme. PMID:27383027

High affinity γPNA sandwich hybridization assay for rapid detection of short nucleic acid targets with single mismatch discrimination.

PubMed

Goldman, Johnathan M; Zhang, Li Ang; Manna, Arunava; Armitage, Bruce A; Ly, Danith H; Schneider, James W

2013-07-08

Hybridization analysis of short DNA and RNA targets presents many challenges for detection. The commonly employed sandwich hybridization approach cannot be implemented for these short targets due to insufficient probe-target binding strengths for unmodified DNA probes. Here, we present a method capable of rapid and stable sandwich hybridization detection for 22 nucleotide DNA and RNA targets. Stable hybridization is achieved using an n-alkylated, polyethylene glycol γ-carbon modified peptide nucleic acid (γPNA) amphiphile. The γPNA's exceptionally high affinity enables stable hybridization of a second DNA-based probe to the remaining bases of the short target. Upon hybridization of both probes, an electrophoretic mobility shift is measured via interaction of the n-alkane modification on the γPNA with capillary electrophoresis running buffer containing nonionic surfactant micelles. We find that sandwich hybridization of both probes is stable under multiple binding configurations and demonstrate single base mismatch discrimination. The binding strength of both probes is also stabilized via coaxial stacking on adjacent hybridization to targets. We conclude with a discussion on the implementation of the proposed sandwich hybridization assay as a high-throughput microRNA detection method.

The Sandwich Generation Diner: Development of a Web-Based Health Intervention for Intergenerational Caregivers

PubMed Central

George, Nika; MacDougall, Megan

2016-01-01

Background Women are disproportionately likely to assist aging family members; approximately 53 million in the United States are involved with the health care of aging parents, in-laws, or other relatives. The busy schedules of “sandwich generation” women who care for older relatives require accessible and flexible health education, including Web-based approaches. Objective This paper describes the development and implementation of a Web-based health education intervention, The Sandwich Generation Diner, as a tool for intergenerational caregivers of older adults with physical and cognitive impairments. Methods We used Bartholomew’s Intervention Mapping (IM) process to develop our theory-based health education program. Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory provided the overarching theoretical model. Results The Sandwich Generation Diner website features four modules that address specific health care concerns. Our research involves randomly assigning caregiver participants to one of two experimental conditions that are identical in the type of information provided, but vary significantly in the presentation. In addition to structured Web-based assessments, specific website usage data are recorded. Conclusions The Sandwich Generation Diner was developed to address some of the informational and self-efficacy needs of intergenerational female caregivers. The next step is to demonstrate that this intervention is: (1) attractive and effective with families assisting older adults, and (2) feasible to embed within routine home health services for older adults. PMID:27269632

Mitigating the Hook Effect in Lateral Flow Sandwich Immunoassays Using Real-Time Reaction Kinetics.

PubMed

Rey, Elizabeth G; O'Dell, Dakota; Mehta, Saurabh; Erickson, David

2017-05-02

The quantification of analyte concentrations using lateral flow assays is a low-cost and user-friendly alternative to traditional lab-based assays. However, sandwich-type immunoassays are often limited by the high-dose hook effect, which causes falsely low results when analytes are present at very high concentrations. In this paper, we present a reaction kinetics-based technique that solves this problem, significantly increasing the dynamic range of these devices. With the use of a traditional sandwich lateral flow immunoassay, a portable imaging device, and a mobile interface, we demonstrate the technique by quantifying C-reactive protein concentrations in human serum over a large portion of the physiological range. The technique could be applied to any hook effect-limited sandwich lateral flow assay and has a high level of accuracy even in the hook effect range.

Harvesting broadband kinetic impact energy from mechanical triggering/vibration and water waves.

PubMed

Wen, Xiaonan; Yang, Weiqing; Jing, Qingshen; Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-07-22

We invented a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that is based on a wavy-structured Cu-Kapton-Cu film sandwiched between two flat nanostructured PTFE films for harvesting energy due to mechanical vibration/impacting/compressing using the triboelectrification effect. This structure design allows the TENG to be self-restorable after impact without the use of extra springs and converts direct impact into lateral sliding, which is proved to be a much more efficient friction mode for energy harvesting. The working mechanism has been elaborated using the capacitor model and finite-element simulation. Vibrational energy from 5 to 500 Hz has been harvested, and the generator's resonance frequency was determined to be ∼100 Hz at a broad full width at half-maximum of over 100 Hz, producing an open-circuit voltage of up to 72 V, a short-circuit current of up to 32 μA, and a peak power density of 0.4 W/m(2). Most importantly, the wavy structure of the TENG can be easily packaged for harvesting the impact energy from water waves, clearly establishing the principle for ocean wave energy harvesting. Considering the advantages of TENGs, such as cost-effectiveness, light weight, and easy scalability, this approach might open the possibility for obtaining green and sustainable energy from the ocean using nanostructured materials. Lastly, different ways of agitating water were studied to trigger the packaged TENG. By analyzing the output signals and their corresponding fast Fourier transform spectra, three ways of agitation were evidently distinguished from each other, demonstrating the potential of the TENG for hydrological analysis.

Generation of red color and near infrared bandpass filters using nano-scale plasmonic structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokar, Ahmed A. Z.; Hutter, Franz X.; Burghartz, Joachim N.

2015-05-01

Extraordinary/Enhanced optical transmission (EOT) is studied in the realization of plasmonic based filters in the visible range and near infrared spectrum for the purpose of substituting the Bayer-pattern filter with a new CMOS-compatible filter which can be easily tuned to provide different filter spectra. The filters studied in this paper are based on nano-structured 150nm thick Aluminum (Al) layer sandwiched between silicon dioxide (SiO2) layers. The resonance wavelengths achieved by the filters are at 700nm and 950 nm. Three parameters are used for tuning the two filters, i.e., aperture area, the period, and the holes arrangement (square or rhombic lattice). The filter is based on the principle of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), where the electromagnetic waves of the incident light couples with the free charges of the metal at the metal-dielectric interface. EOT is observed when the metal is structured with apertures such as rectangular, circular, cross, bowtie, etc. The resonance frequency in that case depends on the shape of the aperture, material used, the size of the apertures, the period of the array, and the surrounding material. The fabricated two filters show EOT at wavelengths as designed and simulated with blueshift in the peak location.

Veterans' informal caregivers in the "sandwich generation": a systematic review toward a resilience model.

PubMed

Smith-Osborne, Alexa; Felderhoff, Brandi

2014-01-01

Social work theory advanced the formulation of the construct of the sandwich generation to apply to the emerging generational cohort of caregivers, most often middle-aged women, who were caring for maturing children and aging parents simultaneously. This systematic review extends that focus by synthesizing the literature on sandwich generation caregivers for the general aging population with dementia and for veterans with dementia and polytrauma. It develops potential protective mechanisms based on empirical literature to support an intervention resilience model for social work practitioners. This theoretical model addresses adaptive coping of sandwich- generation families facing ongoing challenges related to caregiving demands.

Multi-objective optimal design of sandwich panels using a genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiaomei; Jiang, Yiping; Pueh Lee, Heow

2017-10-01

In this study, an optimization problem concerning sandwich panels is investigated by simultaneously considering the two objectives of minimizing the panel mass and maximizing the sound insulation performance. First of all, the acoustic model of sandwich panels is discussed, which provides a foundation to model the acoustic objective function. Then the optimization problem is formulated as a bi-objective programming model, and a solution algorithm based on the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is provided to solve the proposed model. Finally, taking an example of a sandwich panel that is expected to be used as an automotive roof panel, numerical experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model and solution algorithm. Numerical results demonstrate in detail how the core material, geometric constraints and mechanical constraints impact the optimal designs of sandwich panels.

Viewpoints of working sandwich generation women and occupational therapists on role balance strategies.

PubMed

Evans, Kiah L; Girdler, Sonya J; Falkmer, Torbjorn; Richmond, Janet E; Wagman, Petra; Millsteed, Jeannine; Falkmer, Marita

2017-09-01

Occupational therapists need to be cognizant of evidence-based role balance advice and strategies that women with multigenerational caring responsibilities can implement independently or with minimal assistance, as role balance may not be the primary goal during many encounters with this population. Hence, this study aimed to identify the viewpoints on the most helpful role balance strategies for working sandwich generation women, both from their own perspectives and from the perspective of occupational therapists. This was achieved through a Q methodology study, where 54 statements were based on findings from interviews, sandwich generation literature and occupational therapy literature. In total, 31 working sandwich generation women and 42 occupational therapists completed the Q sort through either online or paper administration. The data were analysed using factor analysis with varimax rotation and were interpreted through collaboration with experts in the field. The findings revealed similarities between working sandwich generation women and occupational therapists, particularly in terms of advocating strategies related to sleep, rest and seeking practical assistance from support networks. Differences were also present, with working sandwich generation women viewpoints tending to emphasize strategies related to coping with a busy lifestyle attending to multiple responsibilities. In contrast, occupational therapy viewpoints prioritized strategies related to the occupational therapy process, such as goal setting, activity focused interventions, monitoring progress and facilitating sustainable outcomes.

Detection of Penicillinase in Milk by Sandwich ELISA Based Polyclonal and Monoclonal Antibody.

PubMed

Zhao, Yinli; Li, Guoxi

2016-01-01

A sandwich ELISA has been developed using polyclonal and monoclonal antibody for the determination of penicillinase in milk. For this purpose, specific polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against penicillinase were generated and characterized. Using penicillinase standards prepared from 1-128 ng/mL, the method indicated that the detection limit of the sandwich ELISA, as measured in an ELISA plate reader, was as low as 0.86 ng/mL of penicillinase. For determine the accuracy, raw milk containing 2, 8, 32, and 64 ng/mL of penicillinase were tested by sandwich ELISA. Recoveries were from 93-97.5%, and the coefficient of variation [CV (%)] were from 5.55-8.38%. For interassay reproducibility, recoveries were from 89.5-95.1%, the coefficient of variation [CV (%)] were from 5.26-9.58%. This sandwich ELISA provides a useful screening method for quantitative detection of penicillinase in milk.

Highly Stable [C60AuC60]+/- Dumbbells.

PubMed

Goulart, Marcelo; Kuhn, Martin; Martini, Paul; Chen, Lei; Hagelberg, Frank; Kaiser, Alexander; Scheier, Paul; Ellis, Andrew M

2018-05-17

Ionic complexes between gold and C 60 have been observed for the first time. Cations and anions of the type [Au(C 60 ) 2 ] +/- are shown to have particular stability. Calculations suggest that these ions adopt a C 60 -Au-C 60 sandwich-like (dumbbell) structure, which is reminiscent of [XAuX] +/- ions previously observed for much smaller ligands. The [Au(C 60 ) 2 ] +/- ions can be regarded as Au(I) complexes, regardless of whether the net charge is positive or negative, but in both cases, the charge transfer between the Au and C 60 is incomplete, most likely because of a covalent contribution to the Au-C 60 binding. The C 60 -Au-C 60 dumbbell structure represents a new architecture in fullerene chemistry that might be replicable in synthetic nanostructures.

X-ray diffraction study of the molecular propolis films deposited from an alcohol solution onto the cleavage surfaces of layered V2VI3 compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drapak, S. I.; Gavrylyuk, S. V.; Kaminskii, V. M.; Kovalyuk, Z. D.

2008-09-01

The structures of the molecular propolis films deposited from an alcohol solution on the (0001) cleavage surface of layered bismuth selenide and telluride are studied by X-ray diffraction. Despite the chemical interaction between the semiconductor substrates and the organic-substance components, the molecular structural ordering of the propolis films is shown to be identical to that in the films of this substance on the surface of amorphous glass substrates. The chemical and deformation interaction between the organic substance and the layered V2VI3 compounds is found to result in the formation of an organic-inorganic sandwich nanostructure at a distance of ˜0.3 μm from the layered crystal-propolis film interface.

The dynamic properties of sandwich structures based on metal-ceramic foams.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

The present research program has studied the fracture properties of closed pore metal-ceramic foams for their potential applications as core systems in sandwich structures. The composite foams were created at Fireline, Inc. (Youngstown, OH) using the...

Sound-proof Sandwich Panel Design via Metamaterial Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sui, Ni

Sandwich panels consisting of hollow core cells and two face-sheets bonded on both sides have been widely used as lightweight and strong structures in practical engineering applications, but with poor acoustic performance especially at low frequency regime. Basic sound-proof methods for the sandwich panel design are spontaneously categorized as sound insulation and sound absorption. Motivated by metamaterial concept, this dissertation presents two sandwich panel designs without sacrificing weight or size penalty: A lightweight yet sound-proof honeycomb acoustic metamateiral can be used as core material for honeycomb sandwich panels to block sound and break the mass law to realize minimum sound transmission; the other sandwich panel design is based on coupled Helmholtz resonators and can achieve perfect sound absorption without sound reflection. Based on the honeycomb sandwich panel, the mechanical properties of the honeycomb core structure were studied first. By incorporating a thin membrane on top of each honeycomb core, the traditional honeycomb core turns into honeycomb acoustic metamaterial. The basic theory for such kind of membrane-type acoustic metamaterial is demonstrated by a lumped model with infinite periodic oscillator system, and the negative dynamic effective mass density for clamped membrane is analyzed under the membrane resonance condition. Evanescent wave mode caused by negative dynamic effective mass density and impedance methods are utilized to interpret the physical phenomenon of honeycomb acoustic metamaterials at resonance. The honeycomb metamaterials can extraordinarily improve low-frequency sound transmission loss below the first resonant frequency of the membrane. The property of the membrane, the tension of the membrane and the numbers of attached membranes can impact the sound transmission loss, which are observed by numerical simulations and validated by experiments. The sandwich panel which incorporates the honeycomb metamateiral as the core material maintains the mechanical property and yields a sound transmission loss that is consistently greater than 50 dB at low frequencies. Furthermore, the absorption property of the proposed honeycomb sandwich panel was experimentally studied. The honeycomb sandwich panel shows an excellent sound absorbing performance at high frequencies by using reinforced glass fiber without adding too much mass. The effect of the panel size and the stiffness of the grid-like frame effect of the honeycomb sandwich structures on sound transmission are discussed lastly. For the second sound-proof sandwich panel design, each unit cell of the sandwich panel is replaced by a Helmholtz resonator by perforating a small hole on the top face sheet. A perfect sound absorber sandwich panel with coupled Helmholtz resonators is proposed by two types: single identical Helmholtz resonator in each unit cell and dual Helmholtz resonators with different orifices, arranged in each cell arranged periodically. The soundproof sandwich panel is modelled as a panel embedded in rigid panel and assumed as a semiinfinite space with hard boundary condition. The net/mutual impedance model is first proposed and derived by solving Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral by using the Green's function. The thermal-viscous energy dissipation at the thermal boundary layer dominates the total energy consumed. Two types of perfect sound absorber sandwich panel are designed in the last part. Two theoretical methods: the average energy and the equivalent surface impedance method are used to predict sound absorption performance. The geometry for perfect sound absorber sandwich panel at a target frequency can be obtained when the all the Helmholtz resonators are at resonance and the surface impedance of the sandwich panel matches the air impedance. The bandwidth for the identical sandwich panel mainly depends on the neck radius. The absorptive property of the dual Helmholtz resonators type of sandwich panel is studied by investigating the coupling effects between HRs. The theoretical results can be verified by numerical simulations through finite element method. The absorption bandwidth can be tuned by incorporating more HRs in each unit cell. Both sound-proof sandwich panel designs possess extraordinary acoustic performance for noise reduction at low frequency range with sub-wavelength structures. The sound absorber panel design can also achieve broadband sound attenuation at low frequencies.

Static and dynamic response of a sandwich structure under axial compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Wooseok

This thesis is concerned with a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the static and dynamic response of an axially compressed sandwich structure. For the static response problem of sandwich structures, a two-dimensional mechanical model is developed to predict the global and local buckling of a sandwich beam, using classical elasticity. The face sheet and the core are assumed as linear elastic orthotropic continua in a state of planar deformation. General buckling deformation modes (periodic and non-periodic) of the sandwich beam are considered. On the basis of the model developed here, validation and accuracy of several previous theories are discussed for different geometric and material properties of a sandwich beam. The appropriate incremental stress and conjugate incremental finite strain measure for the instability problem of the sandwich beam, and the corresponding constitutive model are addressed. The formulation used in the commercial finite element package is discussed in relation to the formulation adopted in the theoretical derivation. The Dynamic response problem of a sandwich structure subjected to axial impact by a falling mass is also investigated. The dynamic counterpart of the celebrated Euler buckling problem is formulated first and solved by considering the case of a slender column that is impacted by a falling mass. A new notion, that of the time to buckle, "t*" is introduced, which is the corresponding critical quantity analogous to the critical load in static Euler buckling. The dynamic bifurcation buckling analysis is extended to thick sandwich structures using an elastic foundation model. A comprehensive set of impact test results of sandwich columns with various configurations are presented. Failure mechanisms and the temporal history of how a sandwich column responds to axial impact are discussed through the experimental results. The experimental results are compared against analytical dynamic buckling studies and finite element based simulation of the impact event.

Finite element formulation of viscoelastic sandwich beams using fractional derivative operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galucio, A. C.; Deü, J.-F.; Ohayon, R.

This paper presents a finite element formulation for transient dynamic analysis of sandwich beams with embedded viscoelastic material using fractional derivative constitutive equations. The sandwich configuration is composed of a viscoelastic core (based on Timoshenko theory) sandwiched between elastic faces (based on Euler-Bernoulli assumptions). The viscoelastic model used to describe the behavior of the core is a four-parameter fractional derivative model. Concerning the parameter identification, a strategy to estimate the fractional order of the time derivative and the relaxation time is outlined. Curve-fitting aspects are focused, showing a good agreement with experimental data. In order to implement the viscoelastic model into the finite element formulation, the Grünwald definition of the fractional operator is employed. To solve the equation of motion, a direct time integration method based on the implicit Newmark scheme is used. One of the particularities of the proposed algorithm lies in the storage of displacement history only, reducing considerably the numerical efforts related to the non-locality of fractional operators. After validations, numerical applications are presented in order to analyze truncation effects (fading memory phenomena) and solution convergence aspects.

Equal intensity double plasmon resonance of bimetallic quasi-nanocomposites based on sandwich geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakravadhanula, V. S. K.; Elbahri, M.; Schürmann, U.; Takele, H.; Greve, H.; Zaporojtchenko, V.; Faupel, F.

2008-06-01

We report a strategy to achieve a material showing equal intensity double plasmon resonance (EIDPR) based on sandwich geometry. We studied the interaction between localized plasmon resonances associated with different metal clusters (Au/Ag) on Teflon AF (TAF) in sandwich geometry. Engineering the EIDPR was done by tailoring the amount of Au/Ag and changing the TAF thickness. The samples were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-visible spectroscopy. Interestingly, and in agreement with the dipole-surface interaction, the critical barrier thickness for an optimum EIDPR was observed at 3.3 nm. The results clearly show a plasmon sequence effect and visualize the role of plasmon decay.

Structural Design of Ares V Interstage Composite Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sleigh, David W.; Sreekantamurthy, Thammaiah; Kosareo, Daniel N.; Martin, Robert A.; Johnson, Theodore F.

2011-01-01

Preliminary and detailed design studies were performed to mature composite structural design concepts for the Ares V Interstage structure as a part of NASA s Advanced Composite Technologies Project. Aluminum honeycomb sandwich and hat-stiffened composite panel structural concepts were considered. The structural design and analysis studies were performed using HyperSizer design sizing software and MSC Nastran finite element analysis software. System-level design trade studies were carried out to predict weight and margins of safety for composite honeycomb-core sandwich and composite hat-stiffened skin design concepts. Details of both preliminary and detailed design studies are presented in the paper. For the range of loads and geometry considered in this work, the hat-stiffened designs were found to be approximately 11-16 percent lighter than the sandwich designs. A down-select process was used to choose the most favorable structural concept based on a set of figures of merit, and the honeycomb sandwich design was selected as the best concept based on advantages in manufacturing cost.

Fatigue behavior of wood-fiber-based tri-axial engineered sandwich composite panels (ESCP)

Treesearch

Jinghao Li; John F. Hunt; Shaoqin Gong; Zhiyong Cai

2015-01-01

The static and fatigue bending behavior of wood-fiber-based tri-axial engineered sandwich composite panels (ESCP) has been investigated by four-point bending tests. Fatigue panels and weakened panels (wESCP) with an initial interface defect were manufactured for the fatigue tests. Stress σ vs. number of cycles curves (S-N) were recorded under the different stress...

Plate Waste in School Feeding Programs: Individual and Aggregate Measures

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-12-01

entrees - the hot lunch or one of four sandwiches (submarine sandwich, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich...Butter and Marshmallow Fluff Sandwich 289 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich 222 Submarine Sandwich, Roll 898 Bologna 301 Salami 435 Cheese 287 Lettuce...White Bread 162 Sliced Ham 375 Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff Sandwich 162 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich 148 Submarine Sandwich, Roll 1223

Self-assembled bionanostructures: proteins following the lead of DNA nanostructures

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Natural polymers are able to self-assemble into versatile nanostructures based on the information encoded into their primary structure. The structural richness of biopolymer-based nanostructures depends on the information content of building blocks and the available biological machinery to assemble and decode polymers with a defined sequence. Natural polypeptides comprise 20 amino acids with very different properties in comparison to only 4 structurally similar nucleotides, building elements of nucleic acids. Nevertheless the ease of synthesizing polynucleotides with selected sequence and the ability to encode the nanostructural assembly based on the two specific nucleotide pairs underlay the development of techniques to self-assemble almost any selected three-dimensional nanostructure from polynucleotides. Despite more complex design rules, peptides were successfully used to assemble symmetric nanostructures, such as fibrils and spheres. While earlier designed protein-based nanostructures used linked natural oligomerizing domains, recent design of new oligomerizing interaction surfaces and introduction of the platform for topologically designed protein fold may enable polypeptide-based design to follow the track of DNA nanostructures. The advantages of protein-based nanostructures, such as the functional versatility and cost effective and sustainable production methods provide strong incentive for further development in this direction. PMID:24491139

Analyses for Debonding of Stitched Composite Sandwich Structures Using Improved Constitutive Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaessgen, E. H.; Sleight, D. W.; Krishnamurthy, T.; Raju, I. S.

2001-01-01

A fracture mechanics analysis based on strain energy release rates is used to study the effect of stitching in bonded sandwich beam configurations. Finite elements are used to model the configurations. The stitches were modeled as discrete nonlinear spring elements with a compliance determined by experiment. The constitutive models were developed using the results of flatwise tension tests from sandwich material rather than monolithic material. The analyses show that increasing stitch stiffness, stitch density and debond length decrease strain energy release rates for a fixed applied load.

Shear properties evaluation of a truss core of sandwich beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wesolowski, M.; Ludewicz, J.; Domski, J.; Zakrzewski, M.

2017-10-01

The open-cell cores of sandwich structures are locally bonded to the face layers by means of adhesive resin. The sandwich structures composed of different parent materials such as carbon fibre composites (laminated face layers) and metallic core (aluminium truss core) brings the need to closely analyse their adhesive connections which strength is dominated by the shear stress. The presented work considers sandwich beams subjected to the static tests in the 3-point bending with the purpose of estimation of shear properties of the truss core. The main concern is dedicated to the out-of plane shear modulus and ultimate shear stress of the aluminium truss core. The loading of the beam is provided by a static machine. For the all beams the force - deflection history is extracted by means of non-contact optical deflection measurement using PONTOS system. The mode of failure is identified for each beam with the corresponding applied force. A flexural rigidity of the sandwich beams is also discussed based on force - displacement plots.

Controllable Preparation of Ultrathin Sandwich-Like Membrane with Porous Organic Framework and Graphene Oxide for Molecular Filtration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yuanzhi; Xu, Danyun; Zhao, Qingshan; Li, Yang; Peng, Wenchao; Zhang, Guoliang; Zhang, Fengbao; Fan, Xiaobin

2015-10-01

Porous organic frameworks (POFs) based membranes have potential applications in molecular filtration, despite the lack of a corresponding study. This study reports an interesting strategy to get processable POFs dispersion and a novel ultrathin sandwich-like membrane design. It was accidentally found that the hydrophobic N-rich Schiff based POFs agglomerates could react with lithium-ethylamine and formed stable dispersion in water. By successively filtrating the obtained POFs dispersion and graphene oxide (GO), we successfully prepared ultrathin sandwich-like hybrid membranes with layered structure, which showed significantly improved separation efficiency in molecular filtration of organic dyes. This study may provide a universal way to the preparation of processable POFs and their hybrid membranes with GO.

Buckling analysis of curved composite sandwich panels subjected to inplane loadings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruz, Juan R.

1993-01-01

Composite sandwich structures are being considered for primary structure in aircraft such as subsonic and high speed civil transports. The response of sandwich structures must be understood and predictable to use such structures effectively. Buckling is one of the most important response mechanisms of sandwich structures. A simple buckling analysis is derived for sandwich structures. This analysis is limited to flat, rectangular sandwich panels loaded by uniaxial compression (N(sub x)) and having simply supported edges. In most aerospace applications, however, the structure's geometry, boundary conditions, and loading are usually very complex. Thus, a general capability for analyzing the buckling behavior of sandwich structures is needed. The present paper describes and evaluates an improved buckling analysis for cylindrically curved composite sandwich panels. This analysis includes orthotropic facesheets and first-order transverse shearing effects. Both simple support and clamped boundary conditions are also included in the analysis. The panels can be subjected to linearly varying normal loads N(sub x) and N(sub y) in addition to a constant shear load N(sub xy). The analysis is based on the modified Donnell's equations for shallow shells. The governing equations are solved by direct application of Galerkin's method. The accuracy of the present analysis is verified by comparing results with those obtained from finite element analysis for a variety of geometries, loads, and boundary conditions. The limitations of the present analysis are investigated, in particular those related to the shallow shell assumptions in the governing equations. Finally, the computational efficiency of the present analysis is considered.

Non-enzymolytic adenosine barcode-mediated dual signal amplification strategy for ultrasensitive protein detection using LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Yang, Wen; Li, Tengfei; Shu, Chang; Ji, Shunli; Wang, Lei; Wang, Yan; Li, Duo; Mtalimanja, Michael; Sun, Luning; Ding, Li

2018-05-10

A method is described for the determination of proteins with LC-MS/MS enabled by a small molecule (adenosine) barcode and based on a double-recognition sandwich structure. The coagulation protein thrombin was chosen as the model analyte. Magnetic nanoparticles were functionalized with aptamer29 (MNP/apt29) and used to capture thrombin from the samples. MNP/apt29 forms a sandwich with functionalized gold nanoparticles modified with (a) aptamer15 acting as thrombin-recognizing element and (b) a large number of adenosine as mass barcodes. The sandwich formed (MNP/apt29-thrombin-apt15/AuNP/adenosine) can ben magnetically separated from the sample. Mass barcodes are subsequently released from the sandwiched structure for further analysis by adding 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid. Adenosine is then detected by LC-MS/MS as it reflects the level of thrombin with impressively amplified signal. Numerous adenosines introduced into the sandwich proportional to the target concentration further amplify the signal. Under optimized conditions, the response is linearly proportional to the thrombin concentration in the range of 0.02 nM to 10 nM, with a detection limit of 9 fM. The application of this method to the determination of thrombin in spiked plasma samples gave recoveries that ranged from 92.3% to 104.7%. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of a method for the determination of thrombin with LC-MS/MS. The method is based on a double-recognition sandwiched structure. With LC-MS/MS, mass barcodes (adenosine) are detected to quantify thrombin, which amplifies the detection signal impressively.

An electrochemical immunosensor for brain natriuretic peptide prepared with screen-printed carbon electrodes nanostructured with gold nanoparticles grafted through aryl diazonium salt chemistry.

PubMed

Serafín, V; Torrente-Rodríguez, R M; González-Cortés, A; García de Frutos, P; Sabaté, M; Campuzano, S; Yáñez-Sedeño, P; Pingarrón, J M

2018-03-01

A sensitive amperometric immunosensor has been prepared by immobilization of capture antibodies onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) grafted on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) through aryl diazonium salt chemistry using 4-aminothiophenol (AuNPs-S-Phe-SPCE). The immunosensor was designed for the accurate determination of clinically relevant levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in human serum samples. The nanostructured electrochemical platform resulted in an ordered layer of AuNPs onto SPCEs which combined the advantages of high conductivity and improved stability of immobilized biomolecules. The resulting disposable immunosensor used a sandwich type immunoassay involving a peroxidase-labeled detector antibody. The amperometric transduction was carried out at -0.20V (vs the Ag pseudo-reference electrode) upon the addition of hydroquinone (HQ) as electron transfer mediator and H 2 O 2 as the enzyme substrate. The nanostructured immunosensors show a storage stability of at least 25 days, a linear range between 0.014 and 15ngmL -1 , and a LOD of 4pgmL -1 , which is 100 times lower than the established cut-off value for heart failure (HF) diagnosis. The performance of the immunosensor is advantageously compared with that provided with immunosensors prepared by grafting SPCE with p-phenylendiamine (H 2 N-Phe-SPCE) and attaching AuNPs by immersion into an AuNPs suspension or by electrochemical deposition, as well as with immunosensors constructed using commercial AuNPs-modified SPCEs. The developed immunosensor was applied to the successful analysis of human serum from heart failure (HF) patients upon just a 10-times dilution as sample treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Application of Sheet Technology in Cartilage Tissue Engineering.

PubMed

Ge, Yang; Gong, Yi Yi; Xu, Zhiwei; Lu, Yanan; Fu, Wei

2016-04-01

Cartilage tissue engineering started to act as a promising, even essential alternative method in the process of cartilage repair and regeneration, considering adult avascular structure has very limited self-renewal capacity of cartilage tissue in adults and a bottle-neck existed in conventional surgical treatment methods. Recent progressions in tissue engineering realized the development of more feasible strategies to treat cartilage disorders. Of these strategies, cell sheet technology has shown great clinical potentials in the regenerative areas such as cornea and esophagus and is increasingly considered as a potential way to reconstruct cartilage tissues for its non-use of scaffolds and no destruction of matrix secreted by cultured cells. Acellular matrix sheet technologies utilized in cartilage tissue engineering, with a sandwich model, can ingeniously overcome the drawbacks that occurred in a conventional acellular block, where cells are often blocked from migrating because of the non-nanoporous structure. Electrospun-based sheets with nanostructures that mimic the natural cartilage matrix offer a level of control as well as manipulation and make them appealing and widely used in cartilage tissue engineering. In this review, we focus on the utilization of these novel and promising sheet technologies to construct cartilage tissues with practical and beneficial functions.

Use of the learning conversation improves instructor confidence in life support training: An open randomised controlled cross-over trial comparing teaching feedback mechanisms.

PubMed

Baldwin, Lydia J L; Jones, Christopher M; Hulme, Jonathan; Owen, Andrew

2015-11-01

Feedback is vital for the effective delivery of skills-based education. We sought to compare the sandwich technique and learning conversation structured methods of feedback delivery in competency-based basic life support (BLS) training. Open randomised crossover study undertaken between October 2014 and March 2015 at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Six-hundred and forty healthcare students undertaking a European Resuscitation Council (ERC) BLS course were enrolled, each of whom was randomised to receive teaching using either the sandwich technique or the learning conversation. Fifty-eight instructors were randomised to initially teach using either the learning conversation or sandwich technique, prior to crossing-over and teaching with the alternative technique after a pre-defined time period. Outcome measures included skill acquisition as measured by an end-of-course competency assessment, instructors' perception of teaching with each feedback technique and candidates' perception of the feedback they were provided with. Scores assigned to use of the learning conversation by instructors were significantly more favourable than for the sandwich technique across all but two assessed domains relating to instructor perception of the feedback technique, including all skills-based domains. No difference was seen in either assessment pass rates (80.9% sandwich technique vs. 77.2% learning conversation; OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.85-1.84; p=0.29) or any domain relating to candidates' perception of their teaching technique. This is the first direct comparison of two feedback techniques in clinical medical education using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. The learning conversation is preferred by instructors providing competency-based life support training and is perceived to favour skills acquisition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-performance ultraviolet photodetectors based on solution-grown ZnS nanobelts sandwiched between graphene layers

PubMed Central

Kim, Yeonho; Kim, Sang Jin; Cho, Sung-Pyo; Hong, Byung Hee; Jang, Du-Jeon

2015-01-01

Ultraviolet (UV) light photodetectors constructed from solely inorganic semiconductors still remain unsatisfactory because of their low electrical performances. To overcome this limitation, the hybridization is one of the key approaches that have been recently adopted to enhance the photocurrent. High-performance UV photodetectors showing stable on-off switching and excellent spectral selectivity have been fabricated based on the hybrid structure of solution-grown ZnS nanobelts and CVD-grown graphene. Sandwiched structures and multilayer stacking strategies have been applied to expand effective junction between graphene and photoactive ZnS nanobelts. A multiply sandwich-structured photodetector of graphene/ZnS has shown a photocurrent of 0.115 mA under illumination of 1.2 mWcm−2 in air at a bias of 1.0 V, which is higher 107 times than literature values. The multiple-sandwich structure of UV-light sensors with graphene having high conductivity, flexibility, and impermeability is suggested to be beneficial for the facile fabrication of UV photodetectors with extremely efficient performances. PMID:26197784

Sandwich mapping of schistosomiasis risk in Anhui Province, China.

PubMed

Hu, Yi; Bergquist, Robert; Lynn, Henry; Gao, Fenghua; Wang, Qizhi; Zhang, Shiqing; Li, Rui; Sun, Liqian; Xia, Congcong; Xiong, Chenglong; Zhang, Zhijie; Jiang, Qingwu

2015-06-03

Schistosomiasis mapping using data obtained from parasitological surveys is frequently used in planning and evaluation of disease control strategies. The available geostatistical approaches are, however, subject to the assumption of stationarity, a stochastic process whose joint probability distribution does not change when shifted in time. As this is impractical for large areas, we introduce here the sandwich method, the basic idea of which is to divide the study area (with its attributes) into homogeneous subareas and estimate the values for the reporting units using spatial stratified sampling. The sandwich method was applied to map the county-level prevalence of schistosomiasis japonica in Anhui Province, China based on parasitological data collected from sample villages and land use data. We first mapped the county-level prevalence using the sandwich method, then compared our findings with block Kriging. The sandwich estimates ranged from 0.17 to 0.21% with a lower level of uncertainty, while the Kriging estimates varied from 0 to 0.97% with a higher level of uncertainty, indicating that the former is more smoothed and stable compared to latter. Aside from various forms of reporting units, the sandwich method has the particular merit of simple model assumption coupled with full utilization of sample data. It performs well when a disease presents stratified heterogeneity over space.

The Bending Strength, Internal Bonding and Thickness Swelling of a Five Layer Sandwiched Bamboo Particleboard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamaludin, M. A.; Bahari, S. A.; Nordin, K.; Soh, T. F. T.

2010-03-01

The demand for wood based material is increasing but the supply is decreasing. Therefore the price of these raw materials has increased. Bamboo provides an economically feasible alternative raw material for the wood based industry. Its properties are comparable to wood. It is also compatible with the existing processing technology. Bamboo is in abundance, easy to propagate and of short maturation period. Bamboo provides a cheaper alternative resource for the wood based industry. The development of new structural components from bamboo will widen its area of application from handicrafts to furniture and building components. In this study, five layer sandwiched bamboo particleboard were manufactured. The sandwiched Bamboo PB consists of a bamboo PB core, oil palm middle veneers and thin meranti surface veneers. The physical and mechanical properties of the bamboo sandwiched particleboards were tested in accordance to the BS-EN 317:1993 [1] and BS-EN 310:1993 [2], respectively. All the samples passed the standards. The modulus of elasticity was about 352% higher than the value specified in the BS standard, BS-EN 312-4:1996 [3]. The Internal bonding was about 23% higher than the general requirements specified in the standard. On the other hand, the thickness swelling was about 6% lower than the standard. No glue line failure was observed in the strength tests. Critical failures in the IB tests were observed in the particleboards. Tension failures were observed in the surface veneers in the bending tests. The five layer sandwiched bamboo particleboard can be used for light weight construction such as furniture, and wall and door panels in buildings.

Damage tolerance of a composite sandwich with interleaved foam core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishai, Ori; Hiel, Clement

A composite sandwich panel consisting of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) skins and a syntactic foam core was selected as an appropriate structural concept for the design of wind tunnel compressor blades. Interleaving of the core with tough interlayers was done to prevent core cracking and to improve damage tolerance of the sandwich. Simply supported sandwich beam specimens were subjected to low-velocity drop-weight impacts as well as high velocity ballistic impacts. The performance of the interleaved core sandwich panels was characterized by localized skin damage and minor cracking of the core. Residual compressive strength (RCS) of the skin, which was derived from flexural test, shows the expected trend of decreasing with increasing size of the damage, impact energy, and velocity. In the case of skin damage, RCS values of around 50 percent of the virgin interleaved reference were obtained at the upper impact energy range. Based on the similarity between low-velocity and ballistic-impact effects, it was concluded that impact energy is the main variable controlling damage and residual strength, where as velocity plays a minor role.

Damage tolerance of a composite sandwich with interleaved foam core

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ishai, Ori; Hiel, Clement

1992-01-01

A composite sandwich panel consisting of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) skins and a syntactic foam core was selected as an appropriate structural concept for the design of wind tunnel compressor blades. Interleaving of the core with tough interlayers was done to prevent core cracking and to improve damage tolerance of the sandwich. Simply supported sandwich beam specimens were subjected to low-velocity drop-weight impacts as well as high velocity ballistic impacts. The performance of the interleaved core sandwich panels was characterized by localized skin damage and minor cracking of the core. Residual compressive strength (RCS) of the skin, which was derived from flexural test, shows the expected trend of decreasing with increasing size of the damage, impact energy, and velocity. In the case of skin damage, RCS values of around 50 percent of the virgin interleaved reference were obtained at the upper impact energy range. Based on the similarity between low-velocity and ballistic-impact effects, it was concluded that impact energy is the main variable controlling damage and residual strength, where as velocity plays a minor role.

Evaluation of barely visible indentation damage (BVID) in CF/EP sandwich composites using guided wave signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustapha, Samir; Ye, Lin; Dong, Xingjian; Alamdari, Mehrisadat Makki

2016-08-01

Barely visible indentation damage after quasi-static indentation in sandwich CF/EP composites was assessed using ultrasonic guided wave signals. Finite element analyses were conducted to investigate the interaction between guided waves and damage, further to assist in the selection process of the Lamb wave sensitive modes for debonding identification. Composite sandwich beams and panels structures were investigated. Using the beam structure, a damage index was defined based on the change in the peak magnitude of the captured wave signals before and after the indentation, and the damage index was correlated with the residual deformation (defined as the depth of the dent), that was further correlated with the amount of crushing within the core. Both A0 and S0 Lamb wave modes showed high sensitivity to the presence of barely visible indentation damage with residual deformation of 0.2 mm. Furthermore, barely visible indentation damage was assessed in composite sandwich panels after indenting to 3 and 5 mm, and the damage index was defined, based on (a) the peak magnitude of the wave signals before and after indentation or (b) the mismatch between the original and reconstructed wave signals based on a time-reversal algorithm, and was subsequently applied to locate the position of indentation.

Real-Time Tau Protein Detection by Sandwich-Based Piezoelectric Biosensing: Exploring Tubulin as a Mass Enhancer.

PubMed

Li, Dujuan; Scarano, Simona; Lisi, Samuele; Palladino, Pasquale; Minunni, Maria

2018-03-22

Human tau protein is one of the most advanced and accepted biomarkers for AD and tauopathies diagnosis in general. In this work, a quartz crystal balance (QCM) immunosensor was developed for the detection of human tau protein in buffer and artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF), through both direct and sandwich assays. Starting from a conventional immuno-based sandwich strategy, two monoclonal antibodies recognizing different epitopes of tau protein were used, achieving a detection limit for the direct assay in nanomolar range both in HBES-EP and aCSF. Afterward, for exploring alternative specific receptors as secondary recognition elements for tau protein biosensing, we tested tubulin and compared its behavior to a conventional secondary antibody in the sandwich assay. Tau-tubulin binding has shown an extended working range coupled to a signal improvement in comparison with the conventional secondary antibody-based approach, showing a dose-response trend at lower tau concentration than is usually investigated and closer to the physiological levels in the reference matrix for protein tau biomarker. Our results open up new and encouraging perspectives for the use of tubulin as an alternative receptor for tau protein with interesting features due to the possibility of taking advantage of its polymerization and reversible binding to this key hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

Understanding photoluminescence of metal nanostructures based on an oscillator model.

PubMed

Cheng, Yuqing; Zhang, Weidong; Zhao, Jingyi; Wen, Te; Hu, Aiqin; Gong, Qihuang; Lu, Guowei

2018-08-03

Scattering and absorption properties of metal nanostructures have been well understood based on the classic oscillator theory. Here, we demonstrate that photoluminescence of metal nanostructures can also be explained based on a classic model. The model shows that inelastic radiation of an oscillator resembles its resonance band after external excitation, and is related to the photoluminescence from metallic nanostructures. The understanding based on the classic oscillator model is in agreement with that predicted by a quantum electromagnetic cavity model. Moreover, by correlating a two-temperature model and the electron distributions, we demonstrate that both one-photon and two-photon luminescence of the metal nanostructures undergo the same mechanism. Furthermore, the model explains most of the emission characteristics of the metallic nanostructures, such as quantum yield, spectral shape, excitation polarization and power dependence. The model based on an oscillator provides an intuitive description of the photoluminescence process and may enable rapid optimization and exploration of the plasmonic properties.

Mixed (phthalocyaninato)(Schiff-base) di-dysprosium sandwich complexes. Effect of magnetic coupling on the SMM behavior.

PubMed

Wang, Hailong; Liu, Chenxi; Liu, Tao; Zeng, Suyuan; Cao, Wei; Ma, Qi; Duan, Chunying; Dou, Jianmin; Jiang, Jianzhuang

2013-11-21

Reaction between Schiff-base ligand and half-sandwich complex M(Pc)(acac) led to the isolation of new sandwich-type mixed (phthalocyaninato)(Schiff-base) di-lanthanide compounds M2(Pc)2(L)H2O (M = Dy, Gd) (1, 2) [H2Pc = metal free phthalocyanine, Hacac = acetylacetone, H2L = N,N'-bis(3-methyloxysalicylidene)benzene-1,2-diamine] with the triple-decker molecular structure clearly revealed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. For the comparative studies, sandwich triple-decker analogues with pure Schiff-base ligand M2(L)3H2O (M = Dy, Gd) (3, 4) were also prepared. Dynamic magnetic measurement result reveals the single-molecule magnet (SMM) nature of the di-dysprosium derivative 1, while the static magnetic investigation over both pure and the diamagnetic diluted samples of this compound discloses the interionic ferromagnetic coupling between the two dysprosium ions, which in turn effectively suppresses the QTM and enhances the energy barrier of this SMM. Nevertheless, comparative studies over the static magnetic properties of the di-dysprosium triple-decker complexes 1 and 3 indicate the stronger magnetic coupling between the two lanthanide ions in mixed (phthalocyaninato)(Schiff-base) species than in the pure Schiff-base triple-decker analogue, suggesting the special coordination sphere around the dysprosium ions in the former compound over the latter one on the more intense inter-ionic ferromagnetic coupling. As a very small step towards understanding the structure-property relationship, the present result will be surely helpful for the design and synthesis of the multinuclear lanthanide-based SMMs with good properties.

Thermal Conductivity Enhancement by Optical Phonon Sub-Band Engineering of Nanostructures Based on C and BN

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

Thermal Conductivity Enhancement by Optical Phono n Sub-Band Engineering of Nanostructures Based on C and BN DARPA CONTRACT MDA972-02-C-0044... Engineering in 3-D Nanostructures Based on C an d BN Nanotubes " 1.3.1a. Phonon dynamics and thermal properties of zigzag carbon nanotubes Content I...Conductivity. Enhancement by Optical Phonon Sub-Bands Engineering in 3-D Nanostructure s Based on C and BN Nanotubes " . Here, the dynamics of the heat

Thermal Conductivity Enhancement by Optical Phonon Sub-Band Engineering of Nanostructures Based on C and BN

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-09-01

Thermal Conductivity Enhancement by Optical Phonon Sub-Band Engineering of Nanostructures Based on C and BN DARPA CONTRACT MDA972-02-C-0044...AND SUBTITLE Thermal Conductivity Enhancement by Optical Phonon Sub-Band Engineering of Nanostructures Based on C and BN 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...Conductivity. Enhancement by Optical Phonon Sub-Bands Engineering in 3-D Nanostructures Based on C and BN Nanotubes" 1.3.1a. Phonon dynamics

Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Analysis of a Curved Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Actuator with Sandwich Structure.

PubMed

Yan, Zhi; Zaman, Mostafa; Jiang, Liying

2011-12-12

In this work, the problem of a curved functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) actuator with sandwich structure under electrical and thermal loads is investigated. The middle layer in the sandwich structure is functionally graded with the piezoelectric coefficient g 31 varying continuously along the radial direction of the curved actuator. Based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity, analytical solutions are obtained by using Airy stress function to examine the effects of material gradient and heat conduction on the performance of the curved actuator. It is found that the material gradient and thermal load have significant influence on the electroelastic fields and the mechanical response of the curved FGP actuator. Without the sacrifice of actuation deflection, smaller internal stresses are generated by using the sandwich actuator with functionally graded piezoelectric layer instead of the conventional bimorph actuator. This work is very helpful for the design and application of curved piezoelectric actuators under thermal environment.

A Higher-Order Bending Theory for Laminated Composite and Sandwich Beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, Geoffrey M.

1997-01-01

A higher-order bending theory is derived for laminated composite and sandwich beams. This is accomplished by assuming a special form for the axial and transverse displacement expansions. An independent expansion is also assumed for the transverse normal stress. Appropriate shear correction factors based on energy considerations are used to adjust the shear stiffness. A set of transverse normal correction factors is introduced, leading to significant improvements in the transverse normal strain and stress for laminated composite and sandwich beams. A closed-form solution to the cylindrical elasticity solutions for a wide range of beam aspect ratios and commonly used material systems. Accurate shear stresses for a wide range of laminates, including the challenging unsymmetric composite and sandwich laminates, are obtained using an original corrected integration scheme. For application of the theory to a wider range of problems, guidelines for finite element approximations are presented.

A Finite Element Analysis for Predicting the Residual Compressive Strength of Impact-Damaged Sandwich Panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratcliffe, James G.; Jackson, Wade C.

2008-01-01

A simple analysis method has been developed for predicting the residual compressive strength of impact-damaged sandwich panels. The method is tailored for honeycomb core-based sandwich specimens that exhibit an indentation growth failure mode under axial compressive loading, which is driven largely by the crushing behavior of the core material. The analysis method is in the form of a finite element model, where the impact-damaged facesheet is represented using shell elements and the core material is represented using spring elements, aligned in the thickness direction of the core. The nonlinear crush response of the core material used in the analysis is based on data from flatwise compression tests. A comparison with a previous analysis method and some experimental data shows good agreement with results from this new approach.

A Finite Element Analysis for Predicting the Residual Compression Strength of Impact-Damaged Sandwich Panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratcliffe, James G.; Jackson, Wade C.

2008-01-01

A simple analysis method has been developed for predicting the residual compression strength of impact-damaged sandwich panels. The method is tailored for honeycomb core-based sandwich specimens that exhibit an indentation growth failure mode under axial compression loading, which is driven largely by the crushing behavior of the core material. The analysis method is in the form of a finite element model, where the impact-damaged facesheet is represented using shell elements and the core material is represented using spring elements, aligned in the thickness direction of the core. The nonlinear crush response of the core material used in the analysis is based on data from flatwise compression tests. A comparison with a previous analysis method and some experimental data shows good agreement with results from this new approach.

Piezoelectric Micro- and Nanostructured Fibers Fabricated from Thermoplastic Nanocomposites Using a Fiber Drawing Technique: Comparative Study and Potential Applications.

PubMed

Lu, Xin; Qu, Hang; Skorobogatiy, Maksim

2017-02-28

We report an all-polymer flexible piezoelectric fiber that uses both judiciously chosen geometry and advanced materials in order to enhance fiber piezoelectric response. The microstructured/nanostructured fiber features a soft hollow polycarbonate core surrounded by a spiral multilayer cladding consisting of alternating layers of piezoelectric nanocomposites (polyvinylidene enhanced with BaTiO 3 , PZT, or CNT) and conductive polymer (carbon-filled polyethylene). The conductive polymer layers serve as two electrodes, and they also form two spatially offset electric connectors on the fiber surface designed for the ease of connectorization. Kilometer-long piezoelectric fibers of sub-millimeter diameters are thermally drawn from a macroscopic preform. The fibers exhibit high output voltage of up to 6 V under moderate bending, and they show excellent mechanical and electrical durability in a cyclic bend-release test. The micron/nanosize multilayer structure enhances in-fiber poling efficiency due to the small distance between the conducting electrodes sandwiching the piezoelectric composite layers. Additionally, the spiral structure greatly increases the active area of the piezoelectric composite, thus promoting higher voltage generation and resulting in 10-100 higher power generation efficiency over the existing piezoelectric cables. Finally, we weave the fabricated piezoelectric fibers into technical textiles and demonstrate their potential applications in power generation when used as a sound detector, smart car seat upholstery, or wearable materials.

Functional nanometer-scale structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Tsz On Mario

Nanometer-scale structures have properties that are fundamentally different from their bulk counterparts. Much research effort has been devoted in the past decades to explore new fabrication techniques, model the physical properties of these structures, and construct functional devices. The ability to manipulate and control the structure of matter at the nanoscale has made many new classes of materials available for the study of fundamental physical processes and potential applications. The interplay between fabrication techniques and physical understanding of the nanostructures and processes has revolutionized the physical and material sciences, providing far superior properties in materials for novel applications that benefit society. This thesis consists of two major aspects of my graduate research in nano-scale materials. In the first part (Chapters 3--6), a comprehensive study on the nanostructures based on electrospinning and thermal treatment is presented. Electrospinning is a well-established method for producing high-aspect-ratio fibrous structures, with fiber diameter ranging from 1 nm--1 microm. A polymeric solution is typically used as a precursor in electrospinning. In our study, the functionality of the nanostructure relies on both the nanostructure and material constituents. Metallic ions containing precursors were added to the polymeric precursor following a sol-gel process to prepare the solution suitable for electrospinning. A typical electrospinning process produces as-spun fibers containing both polymer and metallic salt precursors. Subsequent thermal treatments of the as-spun fibers were carried out in various conditions to produce desired structures. In most cases, polymer in the solution and the as-spun fibers acted as a backbone for the structure formation during the subsequent heat treatment, and were thermally removed in the final stage. Polymers were also designed to react with the metallic ion precursors during heat treatment in some cases, which led to desired chemical phase formation. The residue of polymer thermal decomposition was also controlled and utilized for certain functionality in some nanostructures. Throughout this study, we successfully fabricated several novel functional structures and revealed a new formation mechanism of metal/metal oxide nanotubes. The magnetic and electrical properties of these nanostructures were studied and optimized for applications in soft magnetic materials and spintronics devices. In the second part, (Chapter 7) a study on memristive switching devices with magnetron-sputtered metal-semiconductor-metal thin film structures based on ZnO is presented. Resistive random access memory (RRAM) is a new, non-volatile memory based on the memristor effect theoretically predicted by Leon Chua in 1971 and first experimentally demonstrated by Hewlett Packard in 2008. The unit cell of a RRAM (a memristor) is a two-terminal device in which the switching medium is sandwiched between the top and bottom electrodes and the resistance of the switching medium can be modulated by applying an electrical signal (current or voltage) to the electrodes. On the other hand, the significance of a memristor, as the fourth element of circuit elements besides resistor, capacitor and inductor, is not limited to just being a candidate for next-generation memory. Owing to the unique i-v characteristics of non-linear memristors that cannot be duplicated with any combinations of the other three basic elements in a passive circuitry, many new electrical functions are being developed based on the memristors. In our study, various contact electrode combinations and semiconductor doping profiles were utilized to achieve different functional resistive switching behaviors and to help fundamentally understand the underlying switching mechanisms in ZnO-based thin film structures. Two distinctive switching mechanisms (ferroelectric charge-induced resistive switching and dopant-induced filament-type resistive switching) have been identified in specified structures. Among them, the ferroelectric charge induced resistive switching is new to the existing mechanisms; and the crucial role of the electrode oxide layer in the filament type resistive switching was reported for the first time. Based on these studies, a unique structure that is believed to combine the two competing switching mechanisms was demonstrated. The new memory structure acts like a complimentary resistive switching memory (CRS) that is designed to eliminate the cross-talk issue in RRAM.

An overview on cellulose-based material in tailoring bio-hybrid nanostructured photocatalysts for water treatment and renewable energy applications.

PubMed

Mohamed, Mohamad Azuwa; Abd Mutalib, Muhazri; Mohd Hir, Zul Adlan; M Zain, M F; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; Jeffery Minggu, Lorna; Awang, Nor Asikin; W Salleh, W N

2017-10-01

A combination between the nanostructured photocatalyst and cellulose-based materials promotes a new functionality of cellulose towards the development of new bio-hybrid materials for various applications especially in water treatment and renewable energy. The excellent compatibility and association between nanostructured photocatalyst and cellulose-based materials was induced by bio-combability and high hydrophilicity of the cellulose components. The electron rich hydroxyl group of celluloses helps to promote superior interaction with photocatalyst. The formation of bio-hybrid nanostructured are attaining huge interest nowadays due to the synergistic properties of individual cellulose-based material and photocatalyst nanoparticles. Therefore, in this review we introduce some cellulose-based material and discusses its compatibility with nanostructured photocatalyst in terms of physical and chemical properties. In addition, we gather information and evidence on the fabrication techniques of cellulose-based hybrid nanostructured photocatalyst and its recent application in the field of water treatment and renewable energy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Power generation from nanostructured PbTe-based thermoelectrics: comprehensive development from materials to modules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, Xiaokai; Jood, Priyanka; Ohta, Michihiro

2016-01-01

In this work, we demonstrate the use of high performance nanostructured PbTe-based materials in high conversion efficiency thermoelectric modules. We fabricated the samples of PbTe-2% MgTe doped with 4% Na and PbTe doped with 0.2% PbI2 with high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) and sintered them with Co-Fe diffusion barriers for use as p- and n-type thermoelectric legs, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy of the PbTe legs reveals two shapes of nanostructures, disk-like and spherical. The reduction in lattice thermal conductivity through nanostructuring gives a ZT of similar to 1.8 at 810 K for p-type PbTe and similar to 1.4 atmore » 750 K for n-type PbTe. Nanostructured PbTe-based module and segmented-leg module using Bi2Te3 and nanostructured PbTe were fabricated and tested with hot-side temperatures up to 873 K in a vacuum. The maximum conversion efficiency of similar to 8.8% for a temperature difference (Delta T) of 570 K and B11% for a Delta T of 590 K have been demonstrated in the nanostructured PbTe-based module and segmented Bi2Te3/nanostructured PbTe module, respectively. Three-dimensional finite-element simulations predict that the maximum conversion efficiency of the nanostructured PbTe-based module and segmented Bi2Te3/nanostructured PbTe module reaches 12.2% for a Delta T of 570 K and 15.6% for a Delta T of 590 K respectively, which could be achieved if the electrical and thermal contact between the nanostructured PbTe legs and Cu interconnecting electrodes is further improved.« less

Controllable Fabrication of Au Nanocups by Confined-Space Thermal Dewetting for OCT Imaging.

PubMed

Gao, Aiqin; Xu, Wenjing; Ponce de León, Yenisey; Bai, Yaocai; Gong, Mingfu; Xie, Kongliang; Park, Boris Hyle; Yin, Yadong

2017-07-01

Here, this study reports a novel confined-space thermal dewetting strategy for the fabrication of Au nanocups with tunable diameter, height, and size of cup opening. The nanocup morphology is defined by the cup-shaped void space created by a yolk-shell silica template that spontaneously takes an eccentric configuration during annealing. Thermal dewetting of Au, which is sandwiched between the yolk and shell, leads to the desired nanocup morphology. With strong scattering in near infrared, the Au nanocups exhibit superior efficiency as contrast agents for spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging. This confined-space thermal dewetting strategy is scalable and general, and can be potentially extended to the synthesis of novel anisotropic nanostructures of various compositions that are difficult to produce by conventional wet chemical or physical methods, thus opening up opportunities for many new applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Freestanding three-dimensional core–shell nanoarrays for lithium-ion battery anodes

DOE PAGES

Tan, Guoqiang; Wu, Feng; Yuan, Yifei; ...

2016-06-03

Here, structural degradation and low conductivity of transition-metal oxides lead to severe capacity fading in lithium-ion batteries. Recent efforts to solve this issue have mainly focused on using nanocomposites or hybrids by integrating nanosized metal oxides with conducting additives. Here we design specific hierarchical structures and demonstrate their use in flexible, large-area anode assemblies. Fabrication of these anodes is achieved via oxidative growth of copper oxide nanowires onto copper substrates followed by radio-frequency sputtering of carbon-nitride films, forming freestanding three-dimensional arrays with core–shell nano-architecture. Cable-like copper oxide/carbon-nitride core–shell nanostructures accommodate the volume change during lithiation-delithiation processes, the three-dimensional arrays providemore » abundant electroactive zones and electron/ion transport paths, and the monolithic sandwich-type configuration without additional binders or conductive agents improves energy/power densities of the whole electrode.« less

Freestanding three-dimensional core-shell nanoarrays for lithium-ion battery anodes.

PubMed

Tan, Guoqiang; Wu, Feng; Yuan, Yifei; Chen, Renjie; Zhao, Teng; Yao, Ying; Qian, Ji; Liu, Jianrui; Ye, Yusheng; Shahbazian-Yassar, Reza; Lu, Jun; Amine, Khalil

2016-06-03

Structural degradation and low conductivity of transition-metal oxides lead to severe capacity fading in lithium-ion batteries. Recent efforts to solve this issue have mainly focused on using nanocomposites or hybrids by integrating nanosized metal oxides with conducting additives. Here we design specific hierarchical structures and demonstrate their use in flexible, large-area anode assemblies. Fabrication of these anodes is achieved via oxidative growth of copper oxide nanowires onto copper substrates followed by radio-frequency sputtering of carbon-nitride films, forming freestanding three-dimensional arrays with core-shell nano-architecture. Cable-like copper oxide/carbon-nitride core-shell nanostructures accommodate the volume change during lithiation-delithiation processes, the three-dimensional arrays provide abundant electroactive zones and electron/ion transport paths, and the monolithic sandwich-type configuration without additional binders or conductive agents improves energy/power densities of the whole electrode.

Resistive switching properties and physical mechanism of cobalt ferrite thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Wei; Zou, Lilan; Chen, Ruqi; Xie, Wei; Chen, Xinman; Qin, Ni; Li, Shuwei; Yang, Guowei; Bao, Dinghua

2014-04-01

We report reproducible resistive switching performance and relevant physical mechanism of sandwiched Pt/CoFe2O4/Pt structures in which the CoFe2O4 thin films were fabricated by a chemical solution deposition method. Uniform switching voltages, good endurance, and long retention have been demonstrated in the Pt/CoFe2O4/Pt memory cells. On the basis of the analysis of current-voltage characteristic and its temperature dependence, we suggest that the carriers transport through the conducting filaments in low resistance state with Ohmic conduction behavior, and the Schottky emission and Poole-Frenkel emission dominate the conduction mechanism in high resistance state. From resistance-temperature dependence of resistance states, we believe that the physical origin of the resistive switching refers to the formation and rupture of the oxygen vacancies related filaments. The nanostructured CoFe2O4 thin films can find applications in resistive random access memory.

Hysteresis and the role of nucleation and growth in the hydrogenation of Mg nanolayers.

PubMed

Mooij, Lennard; Dam, Bernard

2013-02-28

We investigated the hydrogenation of 3 and 10 nm Mg layers sandwiched between Ti using an optical transmission technique (hydrogenography). We observe in situ the two dimensional nucleation and growth of single hydride domains of up to several millimeters in diameter. The low density of nuclei points to preferential nucleation at heterogeneous sites. From an analysis of the growth kinetics we deduce an extremely large edge boundary energy, which we relate to the plastic deformations inherent to the 30% volume expansion of the MgH(2). We find that the nucleation and growth process affects the hysteresis between absorption and desorption. Especially, the absorption branch can be lowered when nucleation barriers are removed. Our results show that when discussing the effect of nano-structuring on hydrogenation it may be quite complex to distinguish the thermodynamic and kinetic effects involved.

Immunodiagnosis of Fasciola gigantica Infection Using Monoclonal Antibody-Based Sandwich ELISA and Immunochromatographic Assay for Detection of Circulating Cathepsin L1 Protease

PubMed Central

Anuracpreeda, Panat; Chawengkirttikul, Runglawan; Sobhon, Prasert

2016-01-01

Background Tropical fasciolosis caused by Fasciola gigantica infection is one of the major diseases infecting ruminants in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia including Thailand. Parasitological diagnosis of fasciolosis is often unreliable and possesses low sensitivity. Therefore, the detection of circulating parasite antigens is thought to be a better alternative for diagnosis of fasciolosis, as it reflects the real parasite burden. Methods In this study, we have produced a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) against recombinant F. gigantica cathepsin L1 (rFgCatL1), and developed both sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sandwich ELISA) and immunochromatographic (IC) test for rapid detection of circulating cathepsin L1 protease (CatL1) in the sera from mice experimentally and cattle naturally infected with Fasciola gigantica. MoAb 4E3 and biotinylated rabbit anti-recombinant CatL1 antibody were selected due to their high reactivities and specificities. Results The lower detection limits of sandwich ELISA and IC test were 3 pg/ml and 0.256 ng/ml, respectively. Sandwich ELISA and IC test could detect F. gigantica infection from day 1 to 35 post infection. In experimental mice, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 95%, 100% and 98.6% (for sandwich ELISA), and 93%, 100% and 98.2% (for IC test), while in natural cattle they were 98.3%, 100% and 99.5% (for sandwich ELISA), and 96.7%, 100% and 99.1% (for IC test). Conclusions These two assay methods showed high efficiencies and precisions for diagnosis of fasciolosis by F. gigantica. PMID:26731402

Immunodiagnosis of Fasciola gigantica Infection Using Monoclonal Antibody-Based Sandwich ELISA and Immunochromatographic Assay for Detection of Circulating Cathepsin L1 Protease.

PubMed

Anuracpreeda, Panat; Chawengkirttikul, Runglawan; Sobhon, Prasert

2016-01-01

Tropical fasciolosis caused by Fasciola gigantica infection is one of the major diseases infecting ruminants in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia including Thailand. Parasitological diagnosis of fasciolosis is often unreliable and possesses low sensitivity. Therefore, the detection of circulating parasite antigens is thought to be a better alternative for diagnosis of fasciolosis, as it reflects the real parasite burden. In this study, we have produced a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) against recombinant F. gigantica cathepsin L1 (rFgCatL1), and developed both sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sandwich ELISA) and immunochromatographic (IC) test for rapid detection of circulating cathepsin L1 protease (CatL1) in the sera from mice experimentally and cattle naturally infected with Fasciola gigantica. MoAb 4E3 and biotinylated rabbit anti-recombinant CatL1 antibody were selected due to their high reactivities and specificities. The lower detection limits of sandwich ELISA and IC test were 3 pg/ml and 0.256 ng/ml, respectively. Sandwich ELISA and IC test could detect F. gigantica infection from day 1 to 35 post infection. In experimental mice, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 95%, 100% and 98.6% (for sandwich ELISA), and 93%, 100% and 98.2% (for IC test), while in natural cattle they were 98.3%, 100% and 99.5% (for sandwich ELISA), and 96.7%, 100% and 99.1% (for IC test). These two assay methods showed high efficiencies and precisions for diagnosis of fasciolosis by F. gigantica.

Chemical Sensors Based on Metal Oxide Nanostructures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.; Xu, Jennifer C.; Evans, Laura J.; VanderWal, Randy L.; Berger, Gordon M.; Kulis, Mike J.; Liu, Chung-Chiun

2006-01-01

This paper is an overview of sensor development based on metal oxide nanostructures. While nanostructures such as nanorods show significan t potential as enabling materials for chemical sensors, a number of s ignificant technical challenges remain. The major issues addressed in this work revolve around the ability to make workable sensors. This paper discusses efforts to address three technical barriers related t o the application of nanostructures into sensor systems: 1) Improving contact of the nanostructured materials with electrodes in a microse nsor structure; 2) Controling nanostructure crystallinity to allow co ntrol of the detection mechanism; and 3) Widening the range of gases that can be detected by using different nanostructured materials. It is concluded that while this work demonstrates useful tools for furt her development, these are just the beginning steps towards realizati on of repeatable, controlled sensor systems using oxide based nanostr uctures.

High-Quality AZO/Au/AZO Sandwich Film with Ultralow Optical Loss and Resistivity for Transparent Flexible Electrodes.

PubMed

Zhou, Hua; Xie, Jing; Mai, Manfang; Wang, Jing; Shen, Xiangqian; Wang, Shuying; Zhang, Lihua; Kisslinger, Kim; Wang, Hui-Qiong; Zhang, Jinxing; Li, Yu; Deng, Junhong; Ke, Shanming; Zeng, Xierong

2018-05-09

Transparent flexible electrodes are in ever-growing demand for modern stretchable optoelectronic devices, such as display technologies, solar cells, and smart windows. Such sandwich-film-electrodes deposited on polymer substrates are unattainable because of the low quality of the films, inducing a relatively large optical loss and resistivity as well as a difficulty in elucidating the interference behavior of light. In this article, we report a high-quality AZO/Au/AZO sandwich film with excellent optoelectronic performance, e.g., an average transmittance of about 81.7% (including the substrate contribution) over the visible range, a sheet resistance of 5 Ω/sq, and a figure-of-merit (FoM) factor of ∼55.1. These values are well ahead of those previously reported for sandwich-film-electrodes. Additionally, the interference behaviors of light modulated by the coat and metal layers have been explored with the employment of transmittance spectra and numerical simulations. In particular, a heater device based on an AZO/Au/AZO sandwich film exhibits high performance such as short response time (∼5 s) and uniform temperature field. This work provides a deep insight into the improvement of the film quality of the sandwich electrodes and the design of high-performance transparent flexible devices by the application of a flexible substrate with an atomically smooth surface.

Sound Transmission through Two Concentric Cylindrical Sandwich Shells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tang, Yvette Y.; Silcox, Richard J.; Robinson, Jay H.

1996-01-01

This paper solves the problem of sound transmission through a system of two infinite concentric cylindrical sandwich shells. The shells are surrounded by external and internal fluid media and there is fluid (air) in the annular space between them. An oblique plane sound wave is incident upon the surface of the outer shell. A uniform flow is moving with a constant velocity in the external fluid medium. Classical thin shell theory is applied to the inner shell and first-order shear deformation theory is applied to the outer shell. A closed form for transmission loss is derived based on modal analysis. Investigations have been made for the impedance of both shells and the transmission loss through the shells from the exterior into the interior. Results are compared for double sandwich shells and single sandwich shells. This study shows that: (1) the impedance of the inner shell is much smaller than that of the outer shell so that the transmission loss is almost the same in both the annular space and the interior cavity of the shells; (2) the two concentric sandwich shells can produce an appreciable increase of transmission loss over single sandwich shells especially in the high frequency range; and (3) design guidelines may be derived with respect to the noise reduction requirement and the pressure in the annular space at a mid-frequency range.

Repair of bony lateral skull base defects equal to or larger than 10 mm by extracorporeally sewed unit-sandwich graft.

PubMed

Indorewala, Shabbir; Nemade, Gaurav; Indorewala, Abuzar; Mahajan, Gauri

2018-06-23

To see effectiveness of the senior author's repair technique for repair of large (equal to or larger than 10 mm) bony lateral skull base defects. Retrospective. Secondary/tertiary care center. We performed retrospective review of 9 surgeries done in our institution between January 2010 and December 2013 for repair of large lateral bony skull base defects. We defined skull base defects extra-cranially and repaired them intra-cranially. We made an extracorporeal sandwich of autologous fascia-bone-fascia (fascia lata and nasal septal bone) and sewed it together to make it into a unit-sandwich graft. This extracorporeally sewed unit-sandwich graft was then inserted to close the large skull base defects either via (1) a cranial slit-window, or (2) the skull base defect itself. Since skull base is bony, bony repair is preferred. Bone plates that are easily available for skull base repair are calvarial and nasal septal bone. Occasionally, harvest of split calvarial bone carries risk of major complications. We preferred nasal septal bone. Harvesting of septal bone even in children using a posterior incision should not disturb the cartilage growth centers. All nine patients were operated by this technique. We had four patients with cerebrospinal fluid leak, and five patients with brain herniation. All these patients had complete reversal of herniation of cranial contents and cessation of cerebrospinal fluid leak. On imaging, in 6 cases the bone graft remained in original intended position after 12 months of surgery. The bone graft was not identifiable in 3 cases. The senior author's technique using autologous multi-layered graft is simple to master, repeatable and very effective.

Extending the Life of Lithium-Based Rechargeable Batteries by Reaction of Lithium Dendrites with a Novel Silica Nanoparticle Sandwiched Separator

DOE PAGES

Liu, Kai; Zhuo, Denys; Lee, Hyun -Wook; ...

2016-11-22

A reaction-protective separator that slows the growth of lithium dendrites penetrating into the separator is produced by sandwiching silica nanoparticles between two polymer separators. Here, the reaction between lithium dendrites and silica nanoparticles consumes the dendrites and can extend the life of the battery by approximately five times.

The Association between Membership in the Sandwich Generation and Health Behaviors: A Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chassin, Laurie; Macy, Jon T.; Seo, Dong-Chul; Presson, Clark C.; Sherman, Steven J.

2010-01-01

The current study examined the association between membership in the sandwich generation, defined as providing care to both children and parents or in-laws, and five health behaviors: checking the food label for health value when buying foods, using a seat belt, choosing foods based on health value, exercising regularly, and cigarette smoking.…

Porphyrin-Based Nanostructures for Photocatalytic Applications

PubMed Central

Chen, Yingzhi; Li, Aoxiang; Huang, Zheng-Hong; Wang, Lu-Ning; Kang, Feiyu

2016-01-01

Well-defined organic nanostructures with controllable size and morphology are increasingly exploited in optoelectronic devices. As promising building blocks, porphyrins have demonstrated great potentials in visible-light photocatalytic applications, because of their electrical, optical and catalytic properties. From this perspective, we have summarized the recent significant advances on the design and photocatalytic applications of porphyrin-based nanostructures. The rational strategies, such as texture or crystal modification and interfacial heterostructuring, are described. The applications of the porphyrin-based nanostructures in photocatalytic pollutant degradation and hydrogen evolution are presented. Finally, the ongoing challenges and opportunities for the future development of porphyrin nanostructures in high-quality nanodevices are also proposed. PMID:28344308

Remarkable reduction in the threshold voltage of pentacene-based thin film transistors with pentacene/CuPc sandwich configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Liu, Qi; Cai, Jing; Li, Yun; Shi, Yi; Wang, Xizhang; Hu, Zheng

2014-06-01

This study investigates the remarkable reduction in the threshold voltage (VT) of pentacene-based thin film transistors with pentacene/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) sandwich configuration. This reduction is accompanied by increased mobility and lowered sub-threshold slope (S). Sandwich devices coated with a 5 nm layer of CuPc layer are compared with conventional top-contact devices, and results indicate that VT decreased significantly from -20.4 V to -0.2 V, that mobility increased from 0.18 cm2/Vs to 0.51 cm2/Vs, and that S was reduced from 4.1 V/dec to 2.9 V/dec. However, the on/off current ratio remains at 105. This enhanced performance could be attributed to the reduction in charge trap density by the incorporated CuPc layer. Results suggest that this method is simple and effectively generates pentacene-based organic thin film transistors with high mobility and low VT.

PSpice Modeling of a Sandwich Piezoelectric Ceramic Ultrasonic Transducer in Longitudinal Vibration

PubMed Central

Wei, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Yuan; Yao, Wenqing; Zhang, Lei

2017-01-01

Sandwiched piezoelectric transducers are widely used, especially in high power applications. For more convenient analysis and design, a PSpice lossy model of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers in longitudinal vibration is proposed by means of the one-dimensional wave and transmission line theories. With the proposed model, the resonance and antiresonance frequencies are obtained, and it is shown that the simulations and measurements have good consistency. For the purpose of further verification the accuracy and application of the PSpice model, a pitch-catch setup and an experimental platform are built. They include two sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and two aluminum cylinders whose lengths are 20 mm and 100 mm respectively. Based on this pitch-catch setup, the impedance and transient analysis are performed. Compared with the measured results, it is shown that the simulated results have good consistency. In addition, the conclusion can be drawn that the optimal excitation frequency for the pitch-catch setup is not necessarily the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers, because the resonance frequency is obtained under no load. The proposed PSpice model of the sandwiched piezoelectric transducer is more conveniently applied to combine with other circuits such as driving circuits, filters, amplifiers, and so on. PMID:28973996

Impact Resistance of Lightweight Hybrid Structures for Gas Turbine Engine Fan Containment Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hebsur, Mohan G.; Noebe, Ronald D.; Revilock, Duane M.

2003-01-01

The ballistic impact resistance of hybrid composite sandwich structures was evaluated with the ultimate goal of developing new materials or structures for potential gas turbine engine fan containment applications. The sandwich structures investigated consisted of GLARE-5 laminates as face sheets with lightweight cellular metallic materials such as honeycomb, foam, and lattice block as a core material. The impact resistance of these hybrid sandwich structures was compared to GLARE-5 laminates and 2024-T3 Al sheet, which were tested as a function of areal weight (material thickness). The GLARE-5 laminates exhibited comparable impact properties to that of 2024-T3 Al at low areal weights, even though there were significant differences in the static tensile properties of these materials. The GLARE-5, however, did have a greater ballistic limit than straight aluminum sheet at higher areal weights. Furthermore, there is up to a 25% advantage in ballistic limit for the GLARE-5/foam sandwich structures compared to straight 2024-T3 Al. But no advantage in ballistic limit was observed between any of the hybrid sandwich structures and thicker versions of GLARE-5. Recommendations for future work are provided, based on these preliminary data.

PSpice Modeling of a Sandwich Piezoelectric Ceramic Ultrasonic Transducer in Longitudinal Vibration.

PubMed

Wei, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Yuan; Yao, Wenqing; Zhang, Lei

2017-09-30

Sandwiched piezoelectric transducers are widely used, especially in high power applications. For more convenient analysis and design, a PSpice lossy model of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers in longitudinal vibration is proposed by means of the one-dimensional wave and transmission line theories. With the proposed model, the resonance and antiresonance frequencies are obtained, and it is shown that the simulations and measurements have good consistency. For the purpose of further verification the accuracy and application of the PSpice model, a pitch-catch setup and an experimental platform are built. They include two sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and two aluminum cylinders whose lengths are 20 mm and 100 mm respectively. Based on this pitch-catch setup, the impedance and transient analysis are performed. Compared with the measured results, it is shown that the simulated results have good consistency. In addition, the conclusion can be drawn that the optimal excitation frequency for the pitch-catch setup is not necessarily the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers, because the resonance frequency is obtained under no load. The proposed PSpice model of the sandwiched piezoelectric transducer is more conveniently applied to combine with other circuits such as driving circuits, filters, amplifiers, and so on.

Enhancement of Fluorescence-Based Sandwich Immunoassay Using Multilayered Microplates Modified with Plasma-Polymerized Films

PubMed Central

Yano, Kazuyoshi; Iwasaki, Akira

2016-01-01

A functional modification of the surface of a 96-well microplate coupled with a thin layer deposition technique is demonstrated for enhanced fluorescence-based sandwich immunoassays. The plasma polymerization technique enabling the deposition of organic thin films was employed for the modification of the well surface of a microplate. A silver layer and a plasma-polymerized film were consecutively deposited on the microplate as a metal mirror and the optical interference layer, respectively. When Cy3-labeled antibody was applied to the wells of the resulting multilayered microplate without any immobilization step, greatly enhanced fluorescence was observed compared with that obtained with the unmodified one. The same effect could be also exhibited for an immunoassay targeting antigen directly adsorbed on the multilayered microplate. Furthermore, a sandwich immunoassay for the detection of interleukin 2 (IL-2) was performed with the multilayered microplates, resulting in specific and 88-fold–enhanced fluorescence detection. PMID:28029144

Spectral surface plasmon resonance biosensor for detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B in milk.

PubMed

Homola, Jirí; Dostálek, Jakub; Chen, Shengfu; Rasooly, Avraham; Jiang, Shaoyi; Yee, Sinclair S

2002-05-05

This work evaluates a newly developed wavelength modulation-based SPR biosensor for the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in milk. Two modes of operation of the SPR biosensor are described: direct detection of SEB and sandwich assay. In the sandwich assay detection mode, secondary antibodies are bound to the already captured toxin to amplify sensor response. Samples including SEB in buffer and SEB in milk were analyzed in this work. The SPR biosensor has been shown to be capable of directly detecting concentrations of SEB in buffer as low as 5 ng/ml. In sandwich detection mode, the lowest detection limit was determined to be 0.5 ng/ml for both buffer and milk samples. The reported wavelength modulation-based SPR sensor provides a generic platform which can be tailored for detection of various foodborne pathogens and agents for food analysis and testing.

The Development of Metal Oxide Chemical Sensing Nanostructures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, G. W.; VanderWal,R. L.; Xu, J. C.; Evans, L. J.; Berger, G. M.; Kulis, M. J.

2008-01-01

This paper discusses sensor development based on metal oxide nanostructures and microsystems technology. While nanostructures such as nanowires show significant potential as enabling materials for chemical sensors, a number of significant technical challenges remain. This paper discusses development to address each of these technical barriers: 1) Improved contact and integration of the nanostructured materials with microsystems in a sensor structure; 2) Control of nanostructure crystallinity to allow control of the detection mechanism; and 3) Widening the range of gases that can be detected by fabricating multiple nanostructured materials. A sensor structure composed of three nanostructured oxides aligned on a single microsensor has been fabricated and tested. Results of this testing are discussed and future development approaches are suggested. It is concluded that while this work lays the foundation for further development, these are the beginning steps towards realization of repeatable, controlled sensor systems using oxide based nanostructures.

Nanostructured cerium oxide: preparation, characterization, and application in energy and environmental catalysis

DOE PAGES

Tang, Wen-Xiang; Gao, Pu-Xian

2016-11-10

Nanostructured cerium oxide (CeO 2) with outstanding physical and chemical properties has attracted extensive interests over the past few decades in environment and energy-related applications. With controllable synthesis of nanostructured CeO 2, much more features were technologically brought out from defect chemistry to structure-derived effects. This paper highlights recent progress on the synthesis and characterization of nanostructured ceria-based materials as well as the traditional and new applications. Specifically, several typical applications based on the desired ceria nanostructures are focused to showcase the importance of nanostructure-derived effects. Moreover, some challenges and perspectives on the nanostructured ceria are presented, such as defectsmore » controlling and retainment, scale-up fabrication, and monolithic devices. Hopefully, this paper can provide an improved understanding of nanostructured CeO 2 and offer new opportunities to promote the further research and applications in the future.« less

Towards a defined ECM and small molecule based monolayer culture system for the expansion of mouse and human intestinal stem cells.

PubMed

Tong, Zhixiang; Martyn, Keir; Yang, Andy; Yin, Xiaolei; Mead, Benjamin E; Joshi, Nitin; Sherman, Nicholas E; Langer, Robert S; Karp, Jeffrey M

2018-02-01

Current ISC culture systems face significant challenges such as animal-derived or undefined matrix compositions, batch-to-batch variability (e.g. Matrigel-based organoid culture), and complexity of assaying cell aggregates such as organoids which renders the research and clinical translation of ISCs challenging. Here, through screening for suitable ECM components, we report a defined, collagen based monolayer culture system that supports the growth of mouse and human intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) enriched for an Lgr5 + population comparable or higher to the levels found in a standard Matrigel-based organoid culture. The system, referred to as the Bolstering Lgr5 Transformational (BLT) Sandwich culture, comprises a collagen IV-coated porous substrate and a collagen I gel overlay which sandwich an IEC monolayer in between. The distinct collagen cues synergistically regulate IEC attachment, proliferation, and Lgr5 expression through maximizing the engagement of distinct cell surface adhesion receptors (i.e. integrin α2β1, integrin β4) and cell polarity. Further, we apply our BLT Sandwich system to identify that the addition of a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor inhibitor (LDN-193189) improves the expansion of Lgr5-GFP + cells from mouse small intestinal crypts by nearly 2.5-fold. Notably, the BLT Sandwich culture is capable of expanding human-derived IECs with higher LGR5 mRNA levels than conventional Matrigel culture, providing superior expansion of human LGR5 + ISCs. Considering the key roles Lgr5 + ISCs play in intestinal epithelial homeostasis and regeneration, we envision that our BLT Sandwich culture system holds great potential for understanding and manipulating ISC biology in vitro (e.g. for modeling ISC-mediated gut diseases) or for expanding a large number of ISCs for clinical utility (e.g. for stem cell therapy). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic Spectroscopy of Stainless Steel Sandwich Panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cosgriff, Laura M.; Lerch, Bradley A.; Hebsur, Mohan G.; Baaklini, George Y.; Ghosn, Louis J.

2003-01-01

Enhanced, lightweight material systems, such as 17-4PH stainless steel sandwich panels are being developed for use as fan blades and fan containment material systems for next generation engines. In order to improve the production for these systems, nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques, such as ultrasonic spectroscopy, are being utilized to evaluate the brazing quality between the 17-4PH stainless steel face plates and the 17-4PH stainless steel foam core. Based on NDE data, shear tests are performed on sections representing various levels of brazing quality from an initial batch of these sandwich structures. Metallographic characterization of brazing is done to corroborate NDE findings and the observed shear failure mechanisms.

DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems in cancer therapy.

PubMed

Wu, Dandan; Wang, Lei; Li, Wei; Xu, Xiaowen; Jiang, Wei

2017-11-25

DNA as a novel biomaterial can be used to fabricate different kinds of DNA nanostructures based on its principle of GC/AT complementary base pairing. Studies have shown that DNA nanostructure is a nice drug carrier to overcome big obstacles existing in cancer therapy such as systemic toxicity and unsatisfied drug efficacy. Thus, different types of DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems have been designed in cancer therapy. To improve treating efficacy, they are also developed into more functional drug delivery nanosystems. In recent years, some important progresses have been made. The objective of this review is to make a retrospect and summary about these different kinds of DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems and their latest progresses: (1) active targeting; (2) mutidrug co-delivery; (3) construction of stimuli-responsive/intelligent nanosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Journey of a Sandwich: Computer-Based Laboratory Experiments about the Human Digestive System in High School Biology Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorgo, Andrej; Hajdinjak, Zdravka; Briski, Darko

2008-01-01

Teaching high school students about the digestive system can be a challenge for a teacher when s/he wants to overcome rote learning of facts without a deeper understanding of the physiological processes inside the alimentary tract. A series of model experiments illustrating the journey of a sandwich was introduced into teaching high school…

Low-Velocity Impact Response of Sandwich Beams with Functionally Graded Core

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Apetre, N. A.; Sankar, B. V.; Ambur, D. R.

2006-01-01

The problem of low-speed impact of a one-dimensional sandwich panel by a rigid cylindrical projectile is considered. The core of the sandwich panel is functionally graded such that the density, and hence its stiffness, vary through the thickness. The problem is a combination of static contact problem and dynamic response of the sandwich panel obtained via a simple nonlinear spring-mass model (quasi-static approximation). The variation of core Young's modulus is represented by a polynomial in the thickness coordinate, but the Poisson's ratio is kept constant. The two-dimensional elasticity equations for the plane sandwich structure are solved using a combination of Fourier series and Galerkin method. The contact problem is solved using the assumed contact stress distribution method. For the impact problem we used a simple dynamic model based on quasi-static behavior of the panel - the sandwich beam was modeled as a combination of two springs, a linear spring to account for the global deflection and a nonlinear spring to represent the local indentation effects. Results indicate that the contact stiffness of thc beam with graded core Increases causing the contact stresses and other stress components in the vicinity of contact to increase. However, the values of maximum strains corresponding to the maximum impact load arc reduced considerably due to grading of thc core properties. For a better comparison, the thickness of the functionally graded cores was chosen such that the flexural stiffness was equal to that of a beam with homogeneous core. The results indicate that functionally graded cores can be used effectively to mitigate or completely prevent impact damage in sandwich composites.

Corrosion Mechanisms in Brazed Al-Base Alloy Sandwich Structures as a Function of Braze Alloy and Process Variables

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-01

aeration solution for 8 hours. A concentrated Nitric acid (HNO3) dip for 15 seconds removed corrosion products prior to post-exposure SEM imaging [25...32 to -37°C under a liquid nitrogen chill at 11.2 V for one minute [10]. The electropolishing solution was a mixture of 1/3 concentrated Nitric acid ...DATES COVERED (From - To) 03/27/06-12/31/12 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Corrosion Mechanisms in Brazed Al-Base Alloy Sandwich Structures as a Function

Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Analysis of a Curved Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Actuator with Sandwich Structure

PubMed Central

Yan, Zhi; Zaman, Mostafa; Jiang, Liying

2011-01-01

In this work, the problem of a curved functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) actuator with sandwich structure under electrical and thermal loads is investigated. The middle layer in the sandwich structure is functionally graded with the piezoelectric coefficient g31 varying continuously along the radial direction of the curved actuator. Based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity, analytical solutions are obtained by using Airy stress function to examine the effects of material gradient and heat conduction on the performance of the curved actuator. It is found that the material gradient and thermal load have significant influence on the electroelastic fields and the mechanical response of the curved FGP actuator. Without the sacrifice of actuation deflection, smaller internal stresses are generated by using the sandwich actuator with functionally graded piezoelectric layer instead of the conventional bimorph actuator. This work is very helpful for the design and application of curved piezoelectric actuators under thermal environment. PMID:28824130

Low-Velocity Impact Behavior of Sandwich Structures with Additively Manufactured Polymer Lattice Cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, Andrew J.; Al Rifaie, Mohammed; Mian, Ahsan; Srinivasan, Raghavan

2018-05-01

Sandwich panel structures are widely used in aerospace, marine, and automotive applications because of their high flexural stiffness, strength-to-weight ratio, good vibration damping, and low through-thickness thermal conductivity. These structures consist of solid face sheets and low-density cellular core structures, which are traditionally based upon honeycomb folded-sheet topologies. The recent advances in additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing process allow lattice core configurations to be designed with improved mechanical properties. In this work, the sandwich core is comprised of lattice truss structures (LTS). Two different LTS designs are 3D-printed using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and are tested under low-velocity impact loads. The absorption energy and the failure mechanisms of lattice cells under such loads are investigated. The differences in energy-absorption capabilities are captured by integrating the load-displacement curve found from the impact response. It is observed that selective placement of vertical support struts in the unit-cell results in an increase in the absorption energy of the sandwich panels.

Voltage-induced switching dynamics based on an AZO/VO2/AZO sandwiched structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Han; Li, Yi; Fang, Baoying; Wang, Xiaohua; Liu, Zhimin; Zhang, Jiao; Li, Zhengpeng; Huang, Yaqin; Pei, Jiangheng

2017-11-01

A vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin film was prepared on an Al-doped ZnO (AZO) conductive glass substrate by DC magnetron sputtering and a post-annealing process. The AZO/VO2/AZO sandwiched structure was fabricated on the VO2/AZO composite film using photolithography and a chemical etching process. The composition, microstructure and optical properties of the VO2/AZO composite film were tested. The results showed that the VO2/AZO composite film was poly-crystalline and the AZO layer did not change the preferred growth orientation of VO2. When the voltage was applied on both of the transparent conductive layers of the AZO/VO2/AZO sandwiched structure, an abrupt change in the current was observed at different temperatures. The temperature dependence of I-V characteristic curves for the AZO/VO2/AZO sandwiched structure was analyzed. The phase transition voltage value is 7.5 V at 20 °C and decreases with increasing temperature.

An Investigation into the Application of Generalized Differential Quadrature Method to Bending Analysis of Composite Sandwich Plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghassemi, Aazam; Yazdani, Mostafa; Hedayati, Mohamad

2017-12-01

In this work, based on the First Order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT), an attempt is made to explore the applicability and accuracy of the Generalized Differential Quadrature Method (GDQM) for bending analysis of composite sandwich plates under static loading. Comparative studies of the bending behavior of composite sandwich plates are made between two types of boundary conditions for different cases. The effects of fiber orientation, ratio of thickness to length of the plate, the ratio of thickness of core to thickness of the face sheet are studied on the transverse displacement and moment resultants. As shown in this study, the role of the core thickness in deformation of these plates can be reversed by the stiffness of the core in comparison with sheets. The obtained graphs give very good results due to optimum design of sandwich plates. In Comparison with existing solutions, fast convergent rates and high accuracy results can be achieved by the GDQ method.

Mechanical Property Evaluation of Palm/Glass Sandwiched Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite in Comparison with few natural composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raja Dhas, J. Edwin; Pradeep, P.

2017-10-01

Natural fibers available plenty can be used as reinforcements in development of eco friendly polymer composites. The less utilized palm leaf stalk fibers sandwiched with artificial glass fibers was researched in this work to have a better reinforcement in preparing a green composite. The commercially available polyester resin blend with coconut shell filler in nano form was used as matrix to sandwich these composites. Naturally available Fibers of palm leaf stalk, coconut leaf stalk, raffia and oil palm were extracted and treated with potassium permanganate solution which enhances the properties. For experimentation four different plates were fabricated using these fibers adopting hand lay-up method. These sandwiched composite plates are further machined to obtain ASTM standards Specimens which are mechanically tested as per standards. Experimental results reveal that the alkali treated palm leaf stalk fiber based polymer composite shows appreciable results than the others. Hence the developed composite can be recommended for fabrication of automobile parts.

Low-Velocity Impact Behavior of Sandwich Structures with Additively Manufactured Polymer Lattice Cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, Andrew J.; Al Rifaie, Mohammed; Mian, Ahsan; Srinivasan, Raghavan

2018-04-01

Sandwich panel structures are widely used in aerospace, marine, and automotive applications because of their high flexural stiffness, strength-to-weight ratio, good vibration damping, and low through-thickness thermal conductivity. These structures consist of solid face sheets and low-density cellular core structures, which are traditionally based upon honeycomb folded-sheet topologies. The recent advances in additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing process allow lattice core configurations to be designed with improved mechanical properties. In this work, the sandwich core is comprised of lattice truss structures (LTS). Two different LTS designs are 3D-printed using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and are tested under low-velocity impact loads. The absorption energy and the failure mechanisms of lattice cells under such loads are investigated. The differences in energy-absorption capabilities are captured by integrating the load-displacement curve found from the impact response. It is observed that selective placement of vertical support struts in the unit-cell results in an increase in the absorption energy of the sandwich panels.

Sandwiched Rényi divergence satisfies data processing inequality

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beigi, Salman

2013-12-15

Sandwiched (quantum) α-Rényi divergence has been recently defined in the independent works of Wilde et al. [“Strong converse for the classical capacity of entanglement-breaking channels,” preprint http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1306.1586 (2013)] and Müller-Lennert et al. [“On quantum Rényi entropies: a new definition, some properties and several conjectures,” preprint http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1306.3142v1 (2013)]. This new quantum divergence has already found applications in quantum information theory. Here we further investigate properties of this new quantum divergence. In particular, we show that sandwiched α-Rényi divergence satisfies the data processing inequality for all values of α > 1. Moreover we prove that α-Holevo information, a variant of Holevo informationmore » defined in terms of sandwiched α-Rényi divergence, is super-additive. Our results are based on Hölder's inequality, the Riesz-Thorin theorem and ideas from the theory of complex interpolation. We also employ Sion's minimax theorem.« less

Aptamer-conjugated silver nanoparticles for electrochemical dual-aptamer-based sandwich detection of staphylococcus aureus.

PubMed

Abbaspour, Abdolkarim; Norouz-Sarvestani, Fatemeh; Noori, Abolhassan; Soltani, Noushin

2015-06-15

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the most important human pathogens and causes numerous illnesses. In this study, we report a sensitive and highly selective dual-aptamer-based sandwich immunosensor for the detection of S. aureus. In this bioassay system, a biotinylated primary anti-S.aureus aptamer was immobilized on streptavidin coated magnetic beads (MB), which serves as a capture probe. A secondary anti-S.aureus aptamer was conjugated to silver nanoparticles (Apt-AgNP) that sensitively reports the detection of the target. In the presence of target bacterium, an Apt/S.aureus/apt-AgNP sandwich complex is formed on the MB surface and the electrochemical signal of AgNPs followed through anodic stripping voltammetry. The proposed sandwich assay benefits from advantageous of a sandwich assay for increased specificity, MB as carriers of affinity ligands for solution-phase recognition and fast magnetic separation, AgNPs for signal amplification, and an electrochemical stripping voltammetry read-out as a simple and sensitive detection. The electrochemical immunosensor shows an extended dynamic range from 10 to 1×10(6) cfu/mL with a low detection limit of 1.0 cfu/mL (S/N=3). Furthermore, the possible interference of other analog bacteria was studied. To assess the general applicability of this sensor, we investigated the quantification of S. aureus in real water samples. The results were compared to the experimental results obtained from a plate counting method, which demonstrated an acceptable consistency. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance enhancement of epoxy based sandwich composites using multiwalled carbon nanotubes for the application of sockets in trans-femoral amputees.

PubMed

Arun, S; Kanagaraj, S

2016-06-01

A socket plays a vital role in giving the comfort to the amputees. However, the accumulation of heat inside the socket and its weight led to increase their metabolic cost. Hence, an attempt was made to increase the performance of the epoxy based sandwich composites to be used for the socket by reinforcing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), which was varied from 0.1 to 0.5wt%. It was homogeneously dispersed in epoxy to obtain the desired properties, where the enhancement of thermal conductivity, compressive strength and modulus of epoxy was observed to be 76.7%, 62.6% and 20.2%, respectively at 0.3wt% of MWCNT concentration beyond which the mechanical properties were found to be decreased. Hence, the epoxy, E-glass plain fabric, 2-10 layers of stockinet and 0.3wt% of MWCNT were used to prepare the sandwich composites. The flexural strength and thermal conductivity of 0.3wt% of MWCNT reinforced sandwich composites were found to be improved by 11.38±1.5% and 29.8±1.3% for the 4-10 layers and up to 10 layers of stockinet, respectively compared to unreinforced sandwich composites, which helped to reduce the weight of the socket and decrease the heat accumulation inside the socket. Thus, it is suggested to be explored for the application of socket in trans-femoral amputees to increase their comfort level by decreasing the metabolic cost. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A study on metallic thermal protection system panel for Reusable Launch Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caogen, Yao; Hongjun, Lü; Zhonghua, Jia; Xinchao, Jia; Yan, Lu; Haigang, Li

2008-07-01

A Ni-based superalloy honeycomb thermal protection system (TPS) panel has been fabricated. And a curved Ni-based superalloy honeycomb sandwich has also been fabricated. The preliminary thermal insulation results of a fabricated Ni-based superalloy honeycomb TPS panel (the areal density of this panel is 6.7 kg /m2 and total height is 32 mm) indicate that the maximum temperature of the lower surfaces of the panel is lower than 150∘ C when the temperature of outer surface is held at 650∘ C for 30 min. The flatwise tensile strength and compressive properties of a fabricated Ni-based superalloy honeycomb sandwich coupon was studied at room temperature. A multilayered coating has been developed on the surface of the superalloy honeycomb TPS panel for environmental protection and thermal control. The oxidation weight-change results show that the weight change of the Ni-based superalloy honeycomb sandwich with the oxidation resistant coating is extremely small at 1100∘ C in air for 10 h. The emittance layer of the multilayered coating imparts an emittance in excess of 0.85 during exposure at 850∘ C, which was at least 14% greater than that of the substrate with oxidation resistant alone.

One-Dimensional Oxide Nanostructures as Gas-Sensing Materials: Review and Issues

PubMed Central

Choi, Kyoung Jin; Jang, Ho Won

2010-01-01

In this article, we review gas sensor application of one-dimensional (1D) metal-oxide nanostructures with major emphases on the types of device structure and issues for realizing practical sensors. One of the most important steps in fabricating 1D-nanostructure devices is manipulation and making electrical contacts of the nanostructures. Gas sensors based on individual 1D nanostructure, which were usually fabricated using electron-beam lithography, have been a platform technology for fundamental research. Recently, gas sensors with practical applicability were proposed, which were fabricated with an array of 1D nanostructures using scalable micro-fabrication tools. In the second part of the paper, some critical issues are pointed out including long-term stability, gas selectivity, and room-temperature operation of 1D-nanostructure-based metal-oxide gas sensors. PMID:22319343

Hydrogen Gas Sensors Based on Semiconductor Oxide Nanostructures

PubMed Central

Gu, Haoshuang; Wang, Zhao; Hu, Yongming

2012-01-01

Recently, the hydrogen gas sensing properties of semiconductor oxide (SMO) nanostructures have been widely investigated. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of the research progress in the last five years concerning hydrogen gas sensors based on SMO thin film and one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. The hydrogen sensing mechanism of SMO nanostructures and some critical issues are discussed. Doping, noble metal-decoration, heterojunctions and size reduction have been investigated and proved to be effective methods for improving the sensing performance of SMO thin films and 1D nanostructures. The effect on the hydrogen response of SMO thin films and 1D nanostructures of grain boundary and crystal orientation, as well as the sensor architecture, including electrode size and nanojunctions have also been studied. Finally, we also discuss some challenges for the future applications of SMO nanostructured hydrogen sensors. PMID:22778599

Flexible and High Performance Supercapacitors Based on NiCo2O4for Wide Temperature Range Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Ram K.; Candler, John; Palchoudhury, Soubantika; Ramasamy, Karthik; Gupta, Bipin Kumar

2015-10-01

Binder free nanostructured NiCo2O4 were grown using a facile hydrothermal technique. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the phase purity of NiCo2O4. The surface morphology and microstructure of the NiCo2O4 analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed flower-like morphology composed of needle-like structures. The potential application of binder free NiCo2O4 as an electrode for supercapacitor devices was investigated using electrochemical methods. The cyclic voltammograms of NiCo2O4 electrode using alkaline aqueous electrolytes showed the presence of redox peaks suggesting pseudocapacitance behavior. Quasi-solid state supercapacitor device fabricated by sandwiching two NiCo2O4 electrodes and separating them by ion transporting layer. The performance of the device was tested using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The device showed excellent flexibility and cyclic stability. The temperature dependent charge storage capacity was measured for their variable temperature applications. Specific capacitance of the device was enhanced by ~150% on raising the temperature from 20 to 60 °C. Hence, the results suggest that NiCo2O4 grown under these conditions could be a suitable material for high performance supercapacitor devices that can be operated at variable temperatures.

Flexible and High Performance Supercapacitors Based on NiCo2O4for Wide Temperature Range Applications.

PubMed

Gupta, Ram K; Candler, John; Palchoudhury, Soubantika; Ramasamy, Karthik; Gupta, Bipin Kumar

2015-10-20

Binder free nanostructured NiCo2O4 were grown using a facile hydrothermal technique. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the phase purity of NiCo2O4. The surface morphology and microstructure of the NiCo2O4 analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed flower-like morphology composed of needle-like structures. The potential application of binder free NiCo2O4 as an electrode for supercapacitor devices was investigated using electrochemical methods. The cyclic voltammograms of NiCo2O4 electrode using alkaline aqueous electrolytes showed the presence of redox peaks suggesting pseudocapacitance behavior. Quasi-solid state supercapacitor device fabricated by sandwiching two NiCo2O4 electrodes and separating them by ion transporting layer. The performance of the device was tested using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The device showed excellent flexibility and cyclic stability. The temperature dependent charge storage capacity was measured for their variable temperature applications. Specific capacitance of the device was enhanced by ~150% on raising the temperature from 20 to 60 °C. Hence, the results suggest that NiCo2O4 grown under these conditions could be a suitable material for high performance supercapacitor devices that can be operated at variable temperatures.

Flexible and High Performance Supercapacitors Based on NiCo2O4for Wide Temperature Range Applications

PubMed Central

Gupta, Ram K.; Candler, John; Palchoudhury, Soubantika; Ramasamy, Karthik; Gupta, Bipin Kumar

2015-01-01

Binder free nanostructured NiCo2O4 were grown using a facile hydrothermal technique. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the phase purity of NiCo2O4. The surface morphology and microstructure of the NiCo2O4 analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed flower-like morphology composed of needle-like structures. The potential application of binder free NiCo2O4 as an electrode for supercapacitor devices was investigated using electrochemical methods. The cyclic voltammograms of NiCo2O4 electrode using alkaline aqueous electrolytes showed the presence of redox peaks suggesting pseudocapacitance behavior. Quasi-solid state supercapacitor device fabricated by sandwiching two NiCo2O4 electrodes and separating them by ion transporting layer. The performance of the device was tested using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The device showed excellent flexibility and cyclic stability. The temperature dependent charge storage capacity was measured for their variable temperature applications. Specific capacitance of the device was enhanced by ~150% on raising the temperature from 20 to 60 °C. Hence, the results suggest that NiCo2O4 grown under these conditions could be a suitable material for high performance supercapacitor devices that can be operated at variable temperatures. PMID:26482921

Enhanced Stability of DNA Nanostructures by Incorporation of Unnatural Base Pairs.

PubMed

Liu, Qing; Liu, Guocheng; Wang, Ting; Fu, Jing; Li, Rujiao; Song, Linlin; Wang, Zhen-Gang; Ding, Baoquan; Chen, Fei

2017-11-03

Self-assembled DNA nanostructures hold great promise in the fields of nanofabrication, biosensing and nanomedicine. However, the inherent low stability of the DNA double helices, formed by weak interactions, largely hinders the assembly and functions of DNA nanostructures. In this study, we redesigned and constructed a six-arm DNA junction by incorporation of the unnatural base pairs 5-Me-isoC/isoG and A/2-thioT into the double helices. They not only retained the structural integrity of the DNA nanostructure, but also showed enhanced thermal stability and resistance to T7 Exonuclease digestion. This research may expand the applications of DNA nanostructures in nanofabrication and biomedical fields, and furthermore, the genetic alphabet expansion with unnatural base pairs may enable us to construct more complicated and diversified self-assembled DNA nanostructures. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Anchored nanostructure materials and method of fabrication

DOEpatents

Seals, Roland D; Menchhofer, Paul A; Howe, Jane Y; Wang, Wei

2012-11-27

Anchored nanostructure materials and methods for their fabrication are described. The anchored nanostructure materials may utilize nano-catalysts that include powder-based or solid-based support materials. The support material may comprise metal, such as NiAl, ceramic, a cermet, or silicon or other metalloid. Typically, nanoparticles are disposed adjacent a surface of the support material. Nanostructures may be formed as anchored to nanoparticles that are adjacent the surface of the support material by heating the nano-catalysts and then exposing the nano-catalysts to an organic vapor. The nanostructures are typically single wall or multi-wall carbon nanotubes.

Electrochemical and optical biosensors based on nanomaterials and nanostructures: a review.

PubMed

Li, Ming; Li, Rui; Li, Chang Ming; Wu, Nianqiang

2011-06-01

Nanomaterials and nanostructures exhibit unique size-tunable and shape-dependent physicochemical properties that are different from those of bulk materials. Advances of nanomaterials and nanostructures open a new door to develop various novel biosensors. The present work has reviewed the recent progress in electrochemical, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and fluorescent biosensors based on nanomaterials and nanostructures. An emphasis is put on the research that demonstrates how the performance of biosensors such as the limit of detection, sensitivity and selectivity is improved by the use of nanomaterials and nanostructures.

Plate Deformation Behavior of Polymer Matrix Composite-Ti Honeycomb-Metal Sandwiches for Pressurized Propulsion Component Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bertelsen, William D.; Shin, E. eugene; Thesken, John C.; Sutter, James K.; Martin, Rich

2004-01-01

THe objectives are: 1. To experimentally validate bi-axial plate flexural performance of PMC-Ti H/C-A286 sandwich panels for the internally pressurized RBCC combustion chamber support structure. 2. To explore ASTM 2-D plate flexure test (D 6416) to simulate the internal pressure loading and to correlate the results with analytical and FE modeling based on 2-D flexure properties.

Enhanced antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles/halloysite nanotubes/graphene nanocomposites with sandwich-like structure.

PubMed

Yu, Liang; Zhang, Yatao; Zhang, Bing; Liu, Jindun

2014-04-11

A sandwich-like antibacterial reagent (Ag/HNTs/rGO) was constructed through the direct growth of silver nanoparticles on the surface graphene-based HNTs nanosheets. Herein, various nanomaterials were combined by adhesion effect of DOPA after self-polymerization. Ag/HNTs/rGO possess enhanced antibacterial ability against E. coli and S. aureus compared with individual silver nanoparticles, rGO nanosheets or their nanocomposites.

Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles/Halloysite Nanotubes/Graphene Nanocomposites with Sandwich-Like Structure

PubMed Central

Yu, Liang; Zhang, Yatao; Zhang, Bing; Liu, Jindun

2014-01-01

A sandwich-like antibacterial reagent (Ag/HNTs/rGO) was constructed through the direct growth of silver nanoparticles on the surface graphene-based HNTs nanosheets. Herein, various nanomaterials were combined by adhesion effect of DOPA after self-polymerization. Ag/HNTs/rGO posses enhanced antibacterial ability against E. coli and S. aureus compared with individual silver nanoparticles, rGO nanosheets or their nanocomposites. PMID:24722502

Tailoring plasmonic properties of metal nanoparticle-embedded dielectric thin films: the sandwich method of preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laha, Ranjit; Malar, P.; Osipowicz, Thomas; Kasiviswanathan, S.

2017-09-01

Tailoring of plasmonic properties of metal nanoparticle-embedded dielectric thin films are very crucial for many thin film-based applications. We, herein, investigate the various ways of tuning the plasmonic positions of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-embedded indium oxide thin films (Au:IO) through a sequence-specific sandwich method. The sandwich method is a four-step process involving deposition of In2O3 film by magnetron sputtering in first and fourth steps, thermal evaporation of Au on to In2O3 film in second and annealing of Au/In2O3 film in the third step. The Au:IO films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, spectrophotometry and transmission electron microscopy. The size and shape of the embedded nanoparticles were found from Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry. Based on dynamic Maxwell Garnett theory, the observed plasmon resonance position was ascribed to the oblate shape of AuNPs formed in sandwich method. Finally, through experimental data, it was shown that the plasmon resonance position of Au:IO thin films can be tuned by 125 nm. The method shown here can be used to tune the plasmon resonance position over the entire range of visible region for the thin films made from other combinations of metal-dielectric pair.

Finite element based stability-constrained weight minimization of sandwich composite ducts for airship applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khode, Urmi B.

High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) airships are platform of interest due to their persistent observation and persistent communication capabilities. A novel HALE airship design configuration incorporates a composite sandwich propulsive hull duct between the front and the back of the hull for significant drag reduction via blown wake effects. The sandwich composite shell duct is subjected to hull pressure on its outer walls and flow suction on its inner walls which result in in-plane wall compressive stress, which may cause duct buckling. An approach based upon finite element stability analysis combined with a ply layup and foam thickness determination weight minimization search algorithm is utilized. Its goal is to achieve an optimized solution for the configuration of the sandwich composite as a solution to a constrained minimum weight design problem, for which the shell duct remains stable with a prescribed margin of safety under prescribed loading. The stability analysis methodology is first verified by comparing published analytical results for a number of simple cylindrical shell configurations with FEM counterpart solutions obtained using the commercially available code ABAQUS. Results show that the approach is effective in identifying minimum weight composite duct configurations for a number of representative combinations of duct geometry, composite material and foam properties, and propulsive duct applied pressure loading.

Development of monoclonal antibody-based sandwich ELISA for detection of dextran.

PubMed

Wang, Sheng-Yu; Li, Zhe; Wang, Xian-Jiang; Lv, Sha; Yang, Yun; Zeng, Lian-Qiang; Luo, Fang-Hong; Yan, Jiang-Hua; Liang, Da-Feng

2014-10-01

Dextran as anti-nutritional factor is usually a result of bacteria activity and has associated serial problems during the process stream in the sugar industry and in medical therapy. A sensitive method is expected to detect dextran quantitatively. Here we generated four monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against dextran using dextran T40 conjugated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as immunogen in our lab following hybridoma protocol. Through pairwise, an MAb named D24 was determined to be conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and was used in the establishment of a sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method for determination of dextran, in which MAb D9 was chosen as a capture antibody. The detection limit and working scope of the developed sandwich ELISA method were 3.9 ng/mL and 7.8-500 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9909. In addition, the cross-reaction assay demonstrated that the method possessed high specificity with no significant cross-reaction with dextran-related substances, and the recovery rate ranged from 96.35 to 102.00%, with coefficient of variation ranging from 1.58 to 6.94%. These results indicated that we developed a detection system of MAb-based sandwich ELISA to measure dextran and this system should be a potential tool to determine dextran levels.

Metallic Nanostructures Based on DNA Nanoshapes

PubMed Central

Shen, Boxuan; Tapio, Kosti; Linko, Veikko; Kostiainen, Mauri A.; Toppari, Jari Jussi

2016-01-01

Metallic nanostructures have inspired extensive research over several decades, particularly within the field of nanoelectronics and increasingly in plasmonics. Due to the limitations of conventional lithography methods, the development of bottom-up fabricated metallic nanostructures has become more and more in demand. The remarkable development of DNA-based nanostructures has provided many successful methods and realizations for these needs, such as chemical DNA metallization via seeding or ionization, as well as DNA-guided lithography and casting of metallic nanoparticles by DNA molds. These methods offer high resolution, versatility and throughput and could enable the fabrication of arbitrarily-shaped structures with a 10-nm feature size, thus bringing novel applications into view. In this review, we cover the evolution of DNA-based metallic nanostructures, starting from the metallized double-stranded DNA for electronics and progress to sophisticated plasmonic structures based on DNA origami objects. PMID:28335274

Functionalization of DNA Nanostructures for Cell Signaling Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedersen, Ronnie O.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is an important cytokine responsible for a wide range of different cellular functions including extracellular matrix formation, angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. We have sought to use self-assembling DNA nanostructures to influence TGF-beta signaling. The predictable Watson Crick base pairing allows for designing self-assembling nanoscale structures using oligonucleotides. We have used the method of DNA origami to assemble structures functionalized with multiple peptides that bind TGF-beta receptors outside the ligand binding domain. This allows the nanostructures to cluster TGF-beta receptors and lower the energy barrier of ligand binding thus sensitizing the cells to TGF-beta stimulation. To prove efficacy of our nanostructures we have utilized immunofluorescent staining of Smad2/4 in order to monitor TGF-beta mediated translocation of Smad2/4 to the cell nucleus. We have also utilized Smad2/4 responsive luminescence constructs that allows us to quantify TGF-beta stimulation with and without nanostructures. To functionalize our nanostructures we relied on biotin-streptavidin linkages. This introduces a multivalency that is not necessarily desirable in all designs. Therefore we have investigated alternative means of functionalization. The first approach is based on targeting DNA nanostructure by using zinc finger binding proteins. Efficacy of zinc finger binding proteins was assayed by the use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assay and atomic force microscopy (AFM). While ELISA indicated a relative specificity of zinc finger proteins for target DNA sequences AFM showed a high degree of non-specific binding and insufficient affinity. The second approach is based on using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) incorporated in the nanostructure through base pairing. PNA is a synthetic DNA analog consisting of a backbone of repeating N-(2-aminoethyl)-glycine units to which purine and pyrimidine bases are linked by amide bonds. The solid phase synthesis of PNA allows for convenient extension of the backbone into a peptide segment enabling peptide functionalization of DNA nanostructures. We have investigated how the neutral character of PNA alters the incorporation in DNA based nanostructures compared to a DNA control using biotinylation and AFM. Results indicate that PNA can successfully be used as a way of functionalizing DNA nanostructures. Additionally we have shown that functionalized nanostructures are capable of sensitizing cells to TGF-beta stimulation.

Thermo-Elastic Triangular Sandwich Element for the Complete Stress Field Based on a Single-Layer Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Das, M.; Barut, A.; Madenci, E.; Ambur, D. R.

2004-01-01

This study presents a new triangular finite element for modeling thick sandwich panels, subjected to thermo-mechanical loading, based on a {3,2}-order single-layer plate theory. A hybrid energy functional is employed in the derivation of the element because of a C interelement continuity requirement. The single-layer theory is based on five weighted-average field variables arising from the cubic and quadratic representations of the in-plane and transverse displacement fields, respectively. The variations of temperature and distributed loading acting on the top and bottom surfaces are non-uniform. The temperature varies linearly through the thickness.

Heteroassembled gold nanoparticles with sandwich-immunoassay LSPR chip format for rapid and sensitive detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg).

PubMed

Kim, Jinwoon; Oh, Seo Yeong; Shukla, Shruti; Hong, Seok Bok; Heo, Nam Su; Bajpai, Vivek K; Chun, Hyang Sook; Jo, Cheon-Ho; Choi, Bong Gill; Huh, Yun Suk; Han, Young-Kyu

2018-06-01

This study aimed to develop a more sensitive method for the detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using heteroassembled gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). A single layered localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) chip format was developed with antigen-antibody reaction-based detection symmetry using AuNPs, which detected HBsAg at 10 pg/mL. To further improve the detection limit, a modified detection format was fabricated by fixing a secondary antibody (to form a heteroassembled sandwich format) to the AuNP monolayer, which enhanced the detection sensitivity by about 100 times. The developed heteroassembled AuNPs sandwich-immunoassay LSPR chip format was able to detect as little as 100 fg/mL of HBsAg within 10-15 min. In addition, the heteroassembled AuNPs sandwich-immunoassay LSPR chip format did not show any non-specific binding to other tested antigens, including alpha fetoprotein (AFP), C-reactive protein (CRP), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). These findings confirm that the proposed detection strategy of heteroassembled AuNPs sandwich-immunoassay LSPR chip format may provide a new platform for early diagnosis of various human diseases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Immunodiagnostic monoclonal antibody-based sandwich ELISA of fasciolosis by detection of Fasciola gigantica circulating fatty acid binding protein.

PubMed

Anuracpreeda, Panat; Chawengkirttikul, Runglawan; Sobhon, Prasert

2016-09-01

Up to now, parasitological diagnosis of fasciolosis is often unreliable and possesses low sensitivity. Hence, the detection of circulating parasite antigens is thought to be a better alternative for diagnosis of fasciolosis, as it reflects the real parasite burden. In the present study, a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) against recombinant Fasciola gigantica fatty acid binding protein (rFgFABP) has been produced. As well, a reliable sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sandwich ELISA) has been developed for the detection of circulating FABP in the sera of mice experimentally and cattle naturally infected with F. gigantica. MoAb 3A3 and biotinylated rabbit anti-recombinant FABP antibody were selected due to their high reactivities and specificities. The lower detection limit of sandwich ELISA was 5 pg mL-1, and no cross-reaction with other parasite antigens was observed. This assay could detect F. gigantica infection from day 1 post infection. In experimental mice, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of this assay were 93·3, 100 and 98·2%, while in natural cattle they were 96·7, 100 and 99·1%. Hence, this sandwich ELISA method showed high efficiencies and precisions for diagnosis of fasciolosis by F. gigantica.

High-Fidelity Modeling for Health Monitoring in Honeycomb Sandwich Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luchinsky, Dimitry G.; Hafiychuk, Vasyl; Smelyanskiy, Vadim; Tyson, Richard W.; Walker, James L.; Miller, Jimmy L.

2011-01-01

High-Fidelity Model of the sandwich composite structure with real geometry is reported. The model includes two composite facesheets, honeycomb core, piezoelectric actuator/sensors, adhesive layers, and the impactor. The novel feature of the model is that it includes modeling of the impact and wave propagation in the structure before and after the impact. Results of modeling of the wave propagation, impact, and damage detection in sandwich honeycomb plates using piezoelectric actuator/sensor scheme are reported. The results of the simulations are compared with the experimental results. It is shown that the model is suitable for analysis of the physics of failure due to the impact and for testing structural health monitoring schemes based on guided wave propagation.

Optically Tunable Magnetoresistance Effect: From Mechanism to Novel Device Application.

PubMed

Liu, Pan; Lin, Xiaoyang; Xu, Yong; Zhang, Boyu; Si, Zhizhong; Cao, Kaihua; Wei, Jiaqi; Zhao, Weisheng

2017-12-28

The magnetoresistance effect in sandwiched structure describes the appreciable magnetoresistance effect of a device with a stacking of two ferromagnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic layer (i.e., a sandwiched structure). The development of this effect has led to the revolution of memory applications during the past decades. In this review, we revisited the magnetoresistance effect and the interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) effect in magnetic sandwiched structures with a spacer layer of non-magnetic metal, semiconductor or organic thin film. We then discussed the optical modulation of this effect via different methods. Finally, we discuss various applications of these effects and present a perspective to realize ultralow-power, high-speed data writing and inter-chip connection based on this tunable magnetoresistance effect.

Aluminum nanostructures with strong visible-range SERS activity for versatile micropatterning of molecular security labels.

PubMed

Lay, Chee Leng; Koh, Charlynn Sher Lin; Wang, Jing; Lee, Yih Hong; Jiang, Ruibin; Yang, Yijie; Yang, Zhe; Phang, In Yee; Ling, Xing Yi

2018-01-03

The application of aluminum (Al)-based nanostructures for visible-range plasmonics, especially for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), currently suffers from inconsistent local electromagnetic field distributions and/or inhomogeneous distribution of probe molecules. Herein, we lithographically fabricate structurally uniform Al nanostructures which enable homogeneous adsorption of various probe molecules. Individual Al nanostructures exhibit strong local electromagnetic field enhancements, in turn leading to intense SERS activity. The average SERS enhancement factor (EF) for individual nanostructures exceeds 10 4 for non-resonant probe molecules in the visible spectrum. These Al nanostructures also retain more than 70% of their original SERS intensities after one-month storage, displaying superb stability under ambient conditions. We further achieve tunable polarization-dependent SERS responses using anisotropic Al nanostructures, facilitating the design of sophisticated SERS-based security labels. Our micron-sized security label comprises two-tier security features, including a machine-readable hybrid quick-response (QR) code overlaid with a set of ciphertexts. Our work demonstrates the versatility of Al-based structures in low-cost modern chemical nano-analytics and forgery protection.

Dietary Patterns Associated with Lower 10-Year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk among Urban African-American and White Adults Consuming Western Diets

PubMed Central

Bodt, Barry A.; Stave Shupe, Emily; Zonderman, Alan B.; Evans, Michele K.

2018-01-01

The study’s objective was to determine whether variations in the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 10-year risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) were associated with differences in food consumption and diet quality. Findings from the baseline wave of Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study 2004–2009, revealed participants consumed a Western diet. Diet quality measures, specifically the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR), based on two 24-h recalls collected during follow-up HANDLS studies from 2009–2013, were used. Reported foods were assigned to 27 groups. In this cross-sectional analysis, the participants (n = 2140) were categorized into tertiles based on their 10-year ASCVD risk. Lower and upper tertiles were used to determine significantly different consumption rates among the food groups. Ten groups were used in hierarchical case clustering to generate four dietary patterns (DPs) based on group energy contribution. The DP with the highest HEI-2010 score included sandwiches along with vegetables and cheese/yogurt. This DP, along with the pizza/sandwiches DP, had significantly higher DASH and MAR scores and a lower 10-year ASCVD risk, compared to the remaining two DPs–meats/sandwiches and sandwiches/bakery products; thus, Western dietary patterns were associated with different levels of ASCVD 10-year risk. PMID:29385036

A Comprehensive Review of Glucose Biosensors Based on Nanostructured Metal-Oxides

PubMed Central

Rahman, Md. Mahbubur; Saleh Ahammad, A. J.; Jin, Joon-Hyung; Ahn, Sang Jung; Lee, Jae-Joon

2010-01-01

Nanotechnology has opened new and exhilarating opportunities for exploring glucose biosensing applications of the newly prepared nanostructured materials. Nanostructured metal-oxides have been extensively explored to develop biosensors with high sensitivity, fast response times, and stability for the determination of glucose by electrochemical oxidation. This article concentrates mainly on the development of different nanostructured metal-oxide [such as ZnO, Cu(I)/(II) oxides, MnO2, TiO2, CeO2, SiO2, ZrO2, and other metal-oxides] based glucose biosensors. Additionally, we devote our attention to the operating principles (i.e., potentiometric, amperometric, impedimetric and conductometric) of these nanostructured metal-oxide based glucose sensors. Finally, this review concludes with a personal prospective and some challenges of these nanoscaled sensors. PMID:22399911

Nanoparticle/nanotube-based nanoelectronic devices and chemically-directed assembly thereof

DOEpatents

Schmidt, Howard K [Cypress, TX

2011-02-22

According to some embodiments, the present invention provides a nanoelectronic device based on a nanostructure that may include a nanotube with first and second ends, a metallic nanoparticle attached to the first end, and an insulating nanoparticle attached to the second end. The nanoelectronic device may include additional nanostructures so a to form a plurality of nanostructures comprising the first nanostructure and the additional nanostructures. The plurality of nanostructures may arranged in a network comprising a plurality of edges and a plurality of vertices, wherein each edge comprises a nanotube and each vertex comprises at least one insulating nanoparticle and at least one metallic nanoparticle adjacent the insulating nanoparticle. The combination of at least one edge and at least one vertex comprises a diode. The device may be an optical rectenna.

Nanostructured Ion-Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells: Recent Advances and Perspectives.

PubMed

He, Guangwei; Li, Zhen; Zhao, Jing; Wang, Shaofei; Wu, Hong; Guiver, Michael D; Jiang, Zhongyi

2015-09-23

Polymer-based materials with tunable nanoscale structures and associated microenvironments hold great promise as next-generation ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) for acid or alkaline fuel cells. Understanding the relationships between nanostructure, physical and chemical microenvironment, and ion-transport properties are critical to the rational design and development of IEMs. These matters are addressed here by discussing representative and important advances since 2011, with particular emphasis on aromatic-polymer-based nanostructured IEMs, which are broadly divided into nanostructured polymer membranes and nanostructured polymer-filler composite membranes. For each category of membrane, the core factors that influence the physical and chemical microenvironments of the ion nanochannels are summarized. In addition, a brief perspective on the possible future directions of nanostructured IEMs is presented. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High temperature structural sandwich panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papakonstantinou, Christos G.

High strength composites are being used for making lightweight structural panels that are being employed in aerospace, naval and automotive structures. Recently, there is renewed interest in use of these panels. The major problem of most commercial available sandwich panels is the fire resistance. A recently developed inorganic matrix is investigated for use in cases where fire and high temperature resistance are necessary. The focus of this dissertation is the development of a fireproof composite structural system. Sandwich panels made with polysialate matrices have an excellent potential for use in applications where exposure to high temperatures or fire is a concern. Commercial available sandwich panels will soften and lose nearly all of their compressive strength temperatures lower than 400°C. This dissertation consists of the state of the art, the experimental investigation and the analytical modeling. The state of the art covers the performance of existing high temperature composites, sandwich panels and reinforced concrete beams strengthened with Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP). The experimental part consists of four major components: (i) Development of a fireproof syntactic foam with maximum specific strength, (ii) Development of a lightweight syntactic foam based on polystyrene spheres, (iii) Development of the composite system for the skins. The variables are the skin thickness, modulus of elasticity of skin and high temperature resistance, and (iv) Experimental evaluation of the flexural behavior of sandwich panels. Analytical modeling consists of a model for the flexural behavior of lightweight sandwich panels, and a model for deflection calculations of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with FRP subjected to fatigue loading. The experimental and analytical results show that sandwich panels made with polysialate matrices and ceramic spheres do not lose their load bearing capability during severe fire exposure, where temperatures reach several hundred degrees Centigrade. Hence the material has excellent potential for various types of applications. The analytical predictions from both models provide reasonably accurate results. Glass, AR-glass, carbon and Nicalon tows and carbon fabrics could be successfully used as skin reinforcements increasing the flexural stiffness and strength of the core. No occurrence of fiber delamination was observed.

Application of sandwich honeycomb carbon/glass fiber-honeycomb composite in the floor component of electric car

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukmaji, I. C.; Wijang, W. R.; Andri, S.; Bambang, K.; Teguh, T.

2017-01-01

Nowadays composite is a superior material used in automotive component due to its outstanding mechanical behavior. The sandwich polypropylene honeycomb core with carbon/glass fiber composite skin (SHCG) as based material in a floor component of electric car application is investigated in the present research. In sandwich structure form, it can absorb noise better compare with the conventional material [1]. Also in present paper, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of SHCG as based material for floor component of the electric car is analyzed. The composite sandwich is contained with a layer uniform carbon fiber and mixing non-uniform carbon-glass fiber in upper and lower skin. Between skins of SHCG are core polypropylene honeycomb that it have good flexibility to form following dies profile. The variables of volume fraction ratio of carbon/glass fiber in SHCG skin are 20/80%, 30/70%, and 50/50%. The specimen of SHCG is tested using the universal testing machine by three points bending method refers to ASTM C393 and ASTM C365. The cross point between tensile strength to the volume fraction the mixing carbon/glass line and ratio cost line are the searched material with good mechanical performance and reasonable cost. The point is 30/70 volume fraction of carbon/glass fiber. The result of the testing experiment is become input properties of model structure sandwich in FEA simulation. FEA simulation approach is conducted to find critical strength and factor of complex safety geometry against varied distributed passenger loads of a floor component the electric car. The passenger loads variable are 80, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 kg.

Building one-dimensional oxide nanostructure arrays on conductive metal substrates for lithium-ion battery anodes.

PubMed

Jiang, Jian; Li, Yuanyuan; Liu, Jinping; Huang, Xintang

2011-01-01

Lithium ion battery (LIB) is potentially one of the most attractive energy storage devices. To meet the demands of future high-power and high-energy density requirements in both thin-film microbatteries and conventional batteries, it is challenging to explore novel nanostructured anode materials instead of conventional graphite. Compared to traditional electrodes based on nanostructure powder paste, directly grown ordered nanostructure array electrodes not only simplify the electrode processing, but also offer remarkable advantages such as fast electron transport/collection and ion diffusion, sufficient electrochemical reaction of individual nanostructures, enhanced material-electrolyte contact area and facile accommodation of the strains caused by lithium intercalation and de-intercalation. This article provides a brief overview of the present status in the area of LIB anodes based on one-dimensional nanostructure arrays growing directly on conductive inert metal substrates, with particular attention to metal oxides synthesized by an anodized alumina membrane (AAM)-free solution-based or hydrothermal methods. Both the scientific developments and the techniques and challenges are critically analyzed.

Compressive and shear buckling analysis of metal matrix composite sandwich panels under different thermal environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Jackson, Raymond H.

1993-01-01

Combined inplane compressive and shear buckling analysis was conducted on flat rectangular sandwich panels using the Raleigh-Ritz minimum energy method with a consideration of transverse shear effect of the sandwich core. The sandwich panels were fabricated with titanium honeycomb core and laminated metal matrix composite face sheets. The results show that slightly slender (along unidirectional compressive loading axis) rectangular sandwich panels have the most desirable stiffness-to-weight ratios for aerospace structural applications; the degradation of buckling strength of sandwich panels with rising temperature is faster in shear than in compression; and the fiber orientation of the face sheets for optimum combined-load buckling strength of sandwich panels is a strong function of both loading condition and panel aspect ratio. Under the same specific weight and panel aspect ratio, a sandwich panel with metal matrix composite face sheets has much higher buckling strength than one having monolithic face sheets.

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart Pppp... - Determination of Weight Volatile Matter Content and Weight Solids Content of Reactive Adhesives

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 13. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius... temperature. Record post bake sandwich weight. (D). Procedure B 1. Zero electronic balance. 2. Place two... the sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 15. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius...

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart Pppp... - Determination of Weight Volatile Matter Content and Weight Solids Content of Reactive Adhesives

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 13. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius... temperature. Record post bake sandwich weight. (D). Procedure B 1. Zero electronic balance. 2. Place two... the sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 15. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius...

Finite Element Modeling of the Buckling Response of Sandwich Panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, Cheryl A.; Moore, David F.; Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Rankin, Charles C.

2002-01-01

A comparative study of different modeling approaches for predicting sandwich panel buckling response is described. The study considers sandwich panels with anisotropic face sheets and a very thick core. Results from conventional analytical solutions for sandwich panel overall buckling and face-sheet-wrinkling type modes are compared with solutions obtained using different finite element modeling approaches. Finite element solutions are obtained using layered shell element models, with and without transverse shear flexibility, layered shell/solid element models, with shell elements for the face sheets and solid elements for the core, and sandwich models using a recently developed specialty sandwich element. Convergence characteristics of the shell/solid and sandwich element modeling approaches with respect to in-plane and through-the-thickness discretization, are demonstrated. Results of the study indicate that the specialty sandwich element provides an accurate and effective modeling approach for predicting both overall and localized sandwich panel buckling response. Furthermore, results indicate that anisotropy of the face sheets, along with the ratio of principle elastic moduli, affect the buckling response and these effects may not be represented accurately by analytical solutions. Modeling recommendations are also provided.

Twistable and Stretchable Sandwich Structured Fiber for Wearable Sensors and Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Choi, Changsoon; Lee, Jae Myeong; Kim, Shi Hyeong; Kim, Seon Jeong; Di, Jiangtao; Baughman, Ray H

2016-12-14

Twistable and stretchable fiber-based electrochemical devices having high performance are needed for future applications, including emerging wearable electronics. Weavable fiber redox supercapacitors and strain sensors are here introduced, which comprise a dielectric layer sandwiched between functionalized buckled carbon nanotube electrodes. On the macroscopic scale, the sandwiched core rubber of the fiber acts as a dielectric layer for capacitive strain sensing and as an elastomeric substrate that prevents electrical shorting and irreversible structural changes during severe mechanical deformations. On the microscopic scale, the buckled CNT electrodes effectively absorb tensile or shear stresses, providing an essentially constant electrical conductance. Consequently, the sandwich fibers provide the dual functions of (1) strain sensing, by generating approximately 115.7% and 26% capacitance changes during stretching (200%) and giant twist (1700 rad·m -1 or 270 turns·m -1 ), respectively, and (2) electrochemical energy storage, providing high linear and areal capacitances (2.38 mF·cm -1 and 11.88 mF·cm -2 ) and retention of more than 95% of initial energy storage capability under large mechanical deformations.

Heterojunction photodetector based on graphene oxide sandwiched between ITO and p-Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, H.; Tajdidzadeh, M.; Thandavan, T. M. K.

2018-02-01

The drop casting method is utilized on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass in order to prepare a sandwiched ITO/graphene oxide (ITO/GO) with silicon dioxide/p-type silicon (SiO2/p-Si) heterojunction photodetector. The partially sandwiched GO layer with SiO2/p-Si substrate exhibits dual characteristics as it showed good sensitivity towards the illumination of infrared (IR) laser at wavelength of 974 nm. Excellent photoconduction is also observed for current-voltage (I-V) characteristics at various laser powers. An external quantum efficiency greater than 1 for a direct current bias voltage of 0 and 3 V reveals significant photoresponsivity of the photodetector at various laser frequency modulation at 1, 5 and 9 Hz. The rise times are found to be 75, 72 and 70 μs for 1, 5 and 9 Hz while high fall times 455, 448 and 426 are measured for the respective frequency modulation. The fabricated ITO/GO-SiO2/p-Si sandwiched heterojunction photodetector can be considered as a good candidate for applications in the IR regions that do not require a high-speed response.

Buckling Analysis of Angle-ply Composite and Sandwich Plates by Combination of Geometric Stiffness Matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhen, Wu; Wanji, Chen

2007-05-01

Buckling response of angle-ply laminated composite and sandwich plates are analyzed using the global-local higher order theory with combination of geometric stiffness matrix in this paper. This global-local theory completely fulfills the free surface conditions and the displacement and stress continuity conditions at interfaces. Moreover, the number of unknowns in this theory is independent of the number of layers in the laminate. Based on this global-local theory, a three-noded triangular element satisfying C1 continuity conditions has also been proposed. The bending part of this element is constructed from the concept of DKT element. In order to improve the accuracy of the analysis, a method of modified geometric stiffness matrix has been introduced. Numerical results show that the present theory not only computes accurately the buckling response of general laminated composite plates but also predicts the critical buckling loads of soft-core sandwiches. However, the global higher-order theories as well as first order theories might encounter some difficulties and overestimate the critical buckling loads for soft-core sandwich plates.

Studies on Flat Sandwich-type Self-Powered Detectors for Flux Measurements in ITER Test Blanket Modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raj, Prasoon; Angelone, Maurizio; Döring, Toralf; Eberhardt, Klaus; Fischer, Ulrich; Klix, Axel; Schwengner, Ronald

2018-01-01

Neutron and gamma flux measurements in designated positions in the test blanket modules (TBM) of ITER will be important tasks during ITER's campaigns. As part of the ongoing task on development of nuclear instrumentation for application in European ITER TBMs, experimental investigations on self-powered detectors (SPD) are undertaken. This paper reports the findings of neutron and photon irradiation tests performed with a test SPD in flat sandwich-like geometry. Whereas both neutrons and gammas can be detected with appropriate optimization of geometries, materials and sizes of the components, the present sandwich-like design is more sensitive to gammas than 14 MeV neutrons. Range of SPD current signals achievable under TBM conditions are predicted based on the SPD sensitivities measured in this work.

Theoretical prediction on corrugated sandwich panels under bending loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Chengfu; Hou, Shujuan

2018-05-01

In this paper, an aluminum corrugated sandwich panel with triangular core under bending loads was investigated. Firstly, the equivalent material parameters of the triangular corrugated core layer, which could be considered as an orthotropic panel, were obtained by using Castigliano's theorem and equivalent homogeneous model. Secondly, contributions of the corrugated core layer and two face panels were both considered to compute the equivalent material parameters of the whole structure through the classical lamination theory, and these equivalent material parameters were compared with finite element analysis solutions. Then, based on the Mindlin orthotropic plate theory, this study obtain the closed-form solutions of the displacement for a corrugated sandwich panel under bending loads in specified boundary conditions, and parameters study and comparison by the finite element method were executed simultaneously.

A determinant-based criterion for working correlation structure selection in generalized estimating equations.

PubMed

Jaman, Ajmery; Latif, Mahbub A H M; Bari, Wasimul; Wahed, Abdus S

2016-05-20

In generalized estimating equations (GEE), the correlation between the repeated observations on a subject is specified with a working correlation matrix. Correct specification of the working correlation structure ensures efficient estimators of the regression coefficients. Among the criteria used, in practice, for selecting working correlation structure, Rotnitzky-Jewell, Quasi Information Criterion (QIC) and Correlation Information Criterion (CIC) are based on the fact that if the assumed working correlation structure is correct then the model-based (naive) and the sandwich (robust) covariance estimators of the regression coefficient estimators should be close to each other. The sandwich covariance estimator, used in defining the Rotnitzky-Jewell, QIC and CIC criteria, is biased downward and has a larger variability than the corresponding model-based covariance estimator. Motivated by this fact, a new criterion is proposed in this paper based on the bias-corrected sandwich covariance estimator for selecting an appropriate working correlation structure in GEE. A comparison of the proposed and the competing criteria is shown using simulation studies with correlated binary responses. The results revealed that the proposed criterion generally performs better than the competing criteria. An example of selecting the appropriate working correlation structure has also been shown using the data from Madras Schizophrenia Study. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Structural and optical investigation on the wings of Idea malabarica (Moore, 1877).

PubMed

Sackey, Juliet; Nuru, Zebib Y; Sone, Bertrand Tumbain; Maaza, Malik

2017-02-01

The nanostructures on the wings of Idea malabarica (Moore, 1877) were analysed using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, and reflectance measurements. The chemical and morphological analyses revealed the chitin-based intricate nanostructures. The influence of the nanostructures on the wetting characteristics of the wing was investigated using optical imaging. Applying the Maxwell-Garnet approximation to the porosities within the nanostructures, the refractive indices, which relate the reflectance response, were estimated. It was concluded that the colour seen on the wings of the Idea malabarica originate from the nanostructural configurations of the chitin-based structures and the embedded pigment.

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart Pppp... - Determination of Weight Volatile Matter Content and Weight Solids Content of Reactive Adhesives

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 13. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.... Record post bake sandwich weight. (D). Procedure B 1. Zero electronic balance. 2. Place two pieces of... the sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 15. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius...

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart Pppp... - Determination of Weight Volatile Matter Content and Weight Solids Content of Reactive Adhesives

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 13. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.... Record post bake sandwich weight. (D). Procedure B 1. Zero electronic balance. 2. Place two pieces of... the sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 15. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius...

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart Pppp... - Determination of Weight Volatile Matter Content and Weight Solids Content of Reactive Adhesives

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 13. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.... Record post bake sandwich weight. (D). Procedure B 1. Zero electronic balance. 2. Place two pieces of... the sandwich. This is referred to as the 24 hr weight. (C). 15. Bake sandwich at 110 degrees Celsius...

Developing a Material Strength Design Value Based on Compression after Impact Damage for the Ares I Composite Interstage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nettles, A. T.; Jackson, J. R.

2009-01-01

The derivation of design values for compression after impact strength for two types of honeycomb sandwich structures are presented. The sandwich structures in this study had an aluminum core and composite laminate facesheets of either 16-ply quasi or 18-ply directional lay-ups. The results show that a simple power law curve fit to the data can be used to create A- and B-basis residual strength curves.

Designing novel Sn-Bi, Si-C and Ge-C nanostructures, using simple theoretical chemical similarities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zdetsis, Aristides D.

2011-04-01

A framework of simple, transparent and powerful concepts is presented which is based on isoelectronic (or isovalent) principles, analogies, regularities and similarities. These analogies could be considered as conceptual extensions of the periodical table of the elements, assuming that two atoms or molecules having the same number of valence electrons would be expected to have similar or homologous properties. In addition, such similar moieties should be able, in principle, to replace each other in more complex structures and nanocomposites. This is only partly true and only occurs under certain conditions which are investigated and reviewed here. When successful, these concepts are very powerful and transparent, leading to a large variety of nanomaterials based on Si and other group 14 elements, similar to well known and well studied analogous materials based on boron and carbon. Such nanomaterias designed in silico include, among many others, Si-C, Sn-Bi, Si-C and Ge-C clusters, rings, nanowheels, nanorodes, nanocages and multidecker sandwiches, as well as silicon planar rings and fullerenes similar to the analogous sp2 bonding carbon structures. It is shown that this pedagogically simple and transparent framework can lead to an endless variety of novel and functional nanomaterials with important potential applications in nanotechnology, nanomedicine and nanobiology. Some of the so called predicted structures have been already synthesized, not necessarily with the same rational and motivation. Finally, it is anticipated that such powerful and transparent rules and analogies, in addition to their predictive power, could also lead to far-reaching interpretations and a deeper understanding of already known results and information.

Designing novel Sn-Bi, Si-C and Ge-C nanostructures, using simple theoretical chemical similarities.

PubMed

Zdetsis, Aristides D

2011-04-27

A framework of simple, transparent and powerful concepts is presented which is based on isoelectronic (or isovalent) principles, analogies, regularities and similarities. These analogies could be considered as conceptual extensions of the periodical table of the elements, assuming that two atoms or molecules having the same number of valence electrons would be expected to have similar or homologous properties. In addition, such similar moieties should be able, in principle, to replace each other in more complex structures and nanocomposites. This is only partly true and only occurs under certain conditions which are investigated and reviewed here. When successful, these concepts are very powerful and transparent, leading to a large variety of nanomaterials based on Si and other group 14 elements, similar to well known and well studied analogous materials based on boron and carbon. Such nanomaterias designed in silico include, among many others, Si-C, Sn-Bi, Si-C and Ge-C clusters, rings, nanowheels, nanorodes, nanocages and multidecker sandwiches, as well as silicon planar rings and fullerenes similar to the analogous sp2 bonding carbon structures. It is shown that this pedagogically simple and transparent framework can lead to an endless variety of novel and functional nanomaterials with important potential applications in nanotechnology, nanomedicine and nanobiology. Some of the so called predicted structures have been already synthesized, not necessarily with the same rational and motivation. Finally, it is anticipated that such powerful and transparent rules and analogies, in addition to their predictive power, could also lead to far-reaching interpretations and a deeper understanding of already known results and information.

Dimensional-Hybrid Structures of 2D Materials with ZnO Nanostructures via pH-Mediated Hydrothermal Growth for Flexible UV Photodetectors.

PubMed

Lee, Young Bum; Kim, Seong Ku; Lim, Yi Rang; Jeon, In Su; Song, Wooseok; Myung, Sung; Lee, Sun Sook; Lim, Jongsun; An, Ki-Seok

2017-05-03

Complementary combination of heterostructures is a crucial factor for the development of 2D materials-based optoelectronic devices. Herein, an appropriate solution for fabricating complementary dimensional-hybrid nanostructures comprising structurally tailored ZnO nanostructures and 2D materials such as graphene and MoS 2 is suggested. Structural features of ZnO nanostructures hydrothermally grown on graphene and MoS 2 are deliberately manipulated by adjusting the pH value of the growing solution, which will result in the formation of ZnO nanowires, nanostars, and nanoflowers. The detailed growth mechanism is further explored for the structurally tailored ZnO nanostructures on the 2D materials. Furthermore, a UV photodetector based on the dimensional-hybrid nanostructures is fabricated, which demonstrates their excellent photocurrent and mechanical durability. This can be understood by the existence of oxygen vacancies and oxygen-vacancies-induced band narrowing in the ZnO nanostructures, which is a decisive factor for determining their photoelectrical properties in the hybrid system.

Rapid and sensitive detection of redspotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) infection by aptamer-coat protein-aptamer sandwich enzyme-linked apta-sorbent assay (ELASA).

PubMed

Zhou, L; Li, P; Ni, S; Yu, Y; Yang, M; Wei, S; Qin, Q

2017-12-01

Redspotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) is one of the most devastating pathogens in the aquaculture of the grouper, Epinephlus sp., worldwide. The early and rapid diagnosis of RGNNV is important for the prevention of RGNNV infection. In this study, an aptamer (A10)-based sandwich enzyme-linked apta-sorbent assay (ELASA) was developed for RGNNV diagnosis. This sandwich ELASA showed high specificity for the RGNNV coat protein (CP) and virions in virus-infected cells and tissues. At the optimized working concentration of 200 nM of aptamer, the ELASA could detect RGNNV in the lysates of as few as 4 × 10 3 RGNNV-infected GB cells. Incubation for 10 min was sufficient to produce accurate results. The sandwich ELASA was most stable at incubation temperatures of 4-25°C, but could still distinguish RGNNV-infected samples from the controls at 37°C. It could detect RGNNV infection in brain lysates diluted 1/10, with results consistent with those of reverse transcription PCR, although with 10% less sensitivity. The main equipment required includes dissection tools, a water bath, Pierce™ Streptavidin Coated Plates and a microplate reader. The sandwich ELASA has great potential utility for the rapid and sensitive diagnosis of RGNNV in its early stages by fish farmers. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Application of nanodimensional particles and aluminum hydroxide nanostructures for cancer diagnosis and therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korovin, M. S.; Fomenko, A. N.

2017-09-01

Nanoparticles and nanostructured materials are one of the most promising developments for cancer therapy. Gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles based on iron and its oxides and other metal oxides have been widely used in diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Much less researchers' attention has been paid to nanoparticles and nanostructures based on aluminum oxides and hydroxides as materials for cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, recent investigations have shown promising results regarding these objects. Here, we review the antitumor results obtained with different aluminum oxide/hydroxide nanoparticles and nanostructures.

Electrode Nanostructures in Lithium‐Based Batteries

PubMed Central

Mahmood, Nasir

2014-01-01

Lithium‐based batteries possessing energy densities much higher than those of the conventional batteries belong to the most promising class of future energy devices. However, there are some fundamental issues related to their electrodes which are big roadblocks in their applications to electric vehicles (EVs). Nanochemistry has advantageous roles to overcome these problems by defining new nanostructures of electrode materials. This review article will highlight the challenges associated with these chemistries both to bring high performance and longevity upon considering the working principles of the various types of lithium‐based (Li‐ion, Li‐air and Li‐S) batteries. Further, the review discusses the advantages and challenges of nanomaterials in nanostructured electrodes of lithium‐based batteries, concerns with lithium metal anode and the recent advancement in electrode nanostructures. PMID:27980896

Electrode Nanostructures in Lithium-Based Batteries.

PubMed

Mahmood, Nasir; Hou, Yanglong

2014-12-01

Lithium-based batteries possessing energy densities much higher than those of the conventional batteries belong to the most promising class of future energy devices. However, there are some fundamental issues related to their electrodes which are big roadblocks in their applications to electric vehicles (EVs). Nanochemistry has advantageous roles to overcome these problems by defining new nanostructures of electrode materials. This review article will highlight the challenges associated with these chemistries both to bring high performance and longevity upon considering the working principles of the various types of lithium-based (Li-ion, Li-air and Li-S) batteries. Further, the review discusses the advantages and challenges of nanomaterials in nanostructured electrodes of lithium-based batteries, concerns with lithium metal anode and the recent advancement in electrode nanostructures.

Carbon nanostructure-based field-effect transistors for label-free chemical/biological sensors.

PubMed

Hu, PingAn; Zhang, Jia; Li, Le; Wang, Zhenlong; O'Neill, William; Estrela, Pedro

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, electrical detection of chemical and biological species using novel nanostructure-based devices has attracted significant attention for chemical, genomics, biomedical diagnostics, and drug discovery applications. The use of nanostructured devices in chemical/biological sensors in place of conventional sensing technologies has advantages of high sensitivity, low decreased energy consumption and potentially highly miniaturized integration. Owing to their particular structure, excellent electrical properties and high chemical stability, carbon nanotube and graphene based electrical devices have been widely developed for high performance label-free chemical/biological sensors. Here, we review the latest developments of carbon nanostructure-based transistor sensors in ultrasensitive detection of chemical/biological entities, such as poisonous gases, nucleic acids, proteins and cells.

Stress measurements of planar dielectric elastomer actuators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Osmani, Bekim; Aeby, Elise A.; Müller, Bert

Dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) micro- and nano-structures are referred to artificial muscles because of their specific continuous power and adequate time response. The bending measurement of an asymmetric, planar DEA is described. The asymmetric cantilevers consist of 1 or 5 μm-thin DEAs deposited on polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrates 16, 25, 38, or 50 μm thick. The application of a voltage to the DEA electrodes generates an electrostatic pressure in the sandwiched silicone elastomer layer, which causes the underlying PEN substrate to bend. Optical beam deflection enables the detection of the bending angle vs. applied voltage. Bending radii as large asmore » 850 m were reproducibly detected. DEA tests with electric fields of up to 80 V/μm showed limitations in electrode’s conductivity and structure failures. The actuation measurement is essential for the quantitative characterization of nanometer-thin, low-voltage, single- and multi-layer DEAs, as foreseen for artificial sphincters to efficiently treat severe urinary and fecal incontinence.« less

In-Situ TEM Visualization Of Vacancy Injection And Chemical Partition During Oxidation Of Ni-Cr Nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Chong M.; Genc, Arda; Cheng, Huikai

2014-01-14

Oxidation of alloy often involves chemical partition and injection of vacancies. Chemical partition is the consequence of selective oxidation, while injection of vacancies is associated with the differences of diffusivity of cations and anions. It is far from clear as how the injected vacancies behave during oxidation of metal. Using in-situ transmission electron microscopy, we captured unprecedented details on the collective behavior of injected vacancies during oxidation of metal, featuring an initial multi-site oxide nucleation, vacancy supersaturation, nucleation of a single cavity, sinking of vacancies into the cavity and accelerated oxidation of the particle. High sensitive energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopymore » mapping reveals that Cr is preferentially oxidized even at the initial oxidation, leading to a structure that Cr oxide is sandwiched near the inner wall of the hollow particle. The work provides a general guidance on tailoring of nanostructured materials involving multi-ion exchange such as core-shell structured composite nanoparticles.« less

In-Situ TEM visualization of vacancy injection and chemical partition during oxidation of Ni-Cr nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Wang, Chong-Min; Genc, Arda; Cheng, Huikai; Pullan, Lee; Baer, Donald R.; Bruemmer, Stephen M.

2014-01-01

Oxidation of alloy often involves chemical partition and injection of vacancies. Chemical partition is the consequence of selective oxidation, while injection of vacancies is associated with the differences of diffusivity of cations and anions. It is far from clear as how the injected vacancies behave during oxidation of metal. Using in-situ transmission electron microscopy, we captured unprecedented details on the collective behavior of injected vacancies during oxidation of metal, featuring an initial multi-site oxide nucleation, vacancy supersaturation, nucleation of a single cavity, sinking of vacancies into the cavity and accelerated oxidation of the particle. High sensitive energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy mapping reveals that Cr is preferentially oxidized even at the initial oxidation, leading to a structure that Cr oxide is sandwiched near the inner wall of the hollow particle. The work provides a general guidance on tailoring of nanostructured materials involving multi-ion exchange such as core-shell structured composite nanoparticles. PMID:24418778

An electrochemical immunoassay for Escherichia coli O157:H7 using double functionalized Au@Pt/SiO2 nanocomposites and immune magnetic nanoparticles.

PubMed

Ye, Lingxian; Zhao, Guangying; Dou, Wenchao

2018-05-15

A sensitive Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) with Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (Au@Pt) functionalized silica nanoparticle (SiO 2 NPs) and Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 NPs) was designed for the quantitative detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7). The poly-(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSSMA) as a negatively charged polyelectrolyte can be easily coated on surface of the amino group modified SiO 2 NPs via electrostatic force. PSSMA is also a good stabilizer for water-soluble bimetallic nanostructures. The PSSMA is first time used as a "bridge" to connect the negative charge Au@Pt NPs to the SiO 2 NPs, forming Au@Pt/SiO 2 NPs. Antibody and invertase conjugated Au@Pt/SiO 2 NPs (denoted as Ab/invertase-Au@Pt/SiO 2 NPs) were used as signal labels. Monoclonal antibody against E. coli O157:H7 (Ab) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (denoted as Ab-Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 NPs) were used to enrich and capture the E. coli O157:H7 in positive sample. The immunosensing platform also composed of a personal glucometer (PGM) using for signal readout. Based on this sandwich-type immunoassay, the invertase in the final formed sandwich immunocomplex catalyzed the hydrolysis of sucrose to produce a large amount of glucose for quantitative readout by the PGM. Under optimal conditions, a linear relationship between the glucose concentration and the logarithm of E. coli O157:H7 concentration was obtained in the concentration range from 3.5 × 10 2 to 3.5 × 10 8 CFU mL -1 with a detection limit of 1.83 × 10 2 CFU mL -1 (3σ). This method was used to detect E. coli O157:H7 in spiked milk samples, indicating its potential practical application. This protocol can be applied in various fields of study. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flexural Behavior of Aluminum Honeycomb Core Sandwich Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matta, Vidyasagar; Kumar, J. Suresh; Venkataraviteja, Duddu; Reddy, Guggulla Bharath Kumar

2017-05-01

This project is concerned with the fabrication and flexural testing of aluminium honey comb sandwich structure which is a special case of composite materials that is fabricated by attaching two thin but stiff skins to a light weight but thick core. The core material is normally low density material but its high thickness provide the sandwich composite with high bonding stiffness. Honeycomb core are classified into two types based on the materials and structures. Hexagonal shape has a unique properties i.e has more bonding strength and less formation time based on the cell size and sheet thickness. Sandwich structure exhibit different properties such as high load bearing capacity at low weight and has excellent thermal insulation. By considering the above properties it has tendency to minimize the structural problem. So honey comb sandwich structure is choosed. The core structure has a different applications such as aircraft, ship interiors, construction industries. As there is no proper research on strength characteristics of sandwich structure. So, we use light weight material to desire the strength. There are different parameters involved in this structure i.e cell size, sheet thickness and core height. In this project we considered 3 level of comparison among the 3 different parameters cell size of 4, 6 and 8 mm, sheet thickness of 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 mm, and core height of 20,25 and 30 mm. In order to reduce the number of experiment we use taguchi design of experiment, and we select the L8 orthogonal array is the best array for this type of situation, which clearly identifies the parameters by independent of material weight to support this we add the minitab software, to identify the main effective plots and regression equation which involves the individual response and corresponding parameters. Aluminium material is used for the fabrication of Honeycomb sandwich structure among the various grades of aluminium we consider the AL6061 which is light weight material and has more strength. By the power press used as forming method we fabricate the honey comb core and stacking the sheets with adhesive as epoxy resin or laser beam welding and sandwich structure will form with two face sheets. Then the specimen is taken to be tested to know the flexural behaviour by the flexural test as 3 point and 4 pont bend test. After testing of two different tests then we get the force vs displacement curve by this we can know the maximum force and by loading configurations and its displacement or deflection then we can calculate flexural stiffness and core shear modulus by the variation of three parameters. Our ultimate aim is to achieve maximum strength by minimum weight.

Micro-Nanostructures of Cellulose-Collagen for Critical Sized Bone Defect Healing.

PubMed

Aravamudhan, Aja; Ramos, Daisy M; Nip, Jonathan; Kalajzic, Ivo; Kumbar, Sangamesh G

2018-02-01

Bone tissue engineering strategies utilize biodegradable polymeric matrices alone or in combination with cells and factors to provide mechanical support to bone, while promoting cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue ingrowth. The performance of mechanically competent, micro-nanostructured polymeric matrices, in combination with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), is evaluated in a critical sized bone defect. Cellulose acetate (CA) is used to fabricate a porous microstructured matrix. Type I collagen is then allowed to self-assemble on these microstructures to create a natural polymer-based, micro-nanostructured matrix (CAc). Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) matrices with identical microstructures serve as controls. Significantly higher number of implanted host cells are distributed in the natural polymer based micro-nanostructures with greater bone density and more uniform cell distribution. Additionally, a twofold increase in collagen content is observed with natural polymer based scaffolds. This study establishes the benefits of natural polymer derived micro-nanostructures in combination with donor derived BMSCs to repair and regenerate critical sized bone defects. Natural polymer based materials with mechanically competent micro-nanostructures may serve as an alternative material platform for bone regeneration. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanostructured TiO2-based gas sensors with enhanced sensitivity to reducing gases

PubMed Central

Kusior, Anna; Trenczek-Zajac, Anita

2016-01-01

2D TiO2 thin films and 3D flower-like TiO2-based nanostructures, also decorated with SnO2, were prepared by chemical and thermal oxidation of Ti substrates, respectively. The crystal structure, morphology and gas sensing properties of the TiO2-based sensing materials were investigated. 2D TiO2 thin films crystallized mainly in the form of rutile, while the flower-like 3D nanostructures as anatase. The sensor based on the 2D TiO2 showed the best performance for H2 detection, while the flower-like 3D nanostructures exhibited enhanced selectivity to CO(CH3)2 after sensitization by SnO2 nanoparticles. The sensor response time was of the order of several seconds. Their fast response, high sensitivity to selected gas species, improved selectivity and stability suggest that the SnO2-decorated flower-like 3D nanostructures are a promising material for application as an acetone sensor. PMID:28144521

Development and Evaluation of Stitched Sandwich Panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanley, Larry E.; Adams, Daniel O.; Reeder, James R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This study explored the feasibility and potential benefits provided by the addition of through-the-thickness reinforcement to sandwich structures. Through-the-thickness stitching is proposed to increase the interlaminar strength and damage tolerance of composite sandwich structures. A low-cost, out-of-autoclave processing method was developed to produce composite sandwich panels with carbon fiber face sheets, a closed-cell foam core, and through-the-thickness Kevlar stitching. The sandwich panels were stitched in a dry preform state, vacuum bagged, and infiltrated using Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) processing. For comparison purposes, unstitched sandwich panels were produced using the same materials and manufacturing methodology. Test panels were produced initially at the University of Utah and later at NASA Langley Research Center. Four types of mechanical tests were performed: flexural testing, flatwise tensile testing, core shear testing, and edgewise compression testing. Drop-weight impact testing followed by specimen sectioning was performed to characterize the damage resistance of stitched sandwich panels. Compression after impact (CAI) testing was performed to evaluate the damage tolerance of the sandwich panels. Results show significant increases in the flexural stiffness and strength, out-of-plane tensile strength, core shear strength, edgewise compression strength, and compression-after-impact strength of stitched sandwich structures.

Detection and Quantification of Gluten during the Brewing and Fermentation of Beer Using Antibody-Based Technologies.

PubMed

Panda, Rakhi; Zoerb, Hans F; Cho, Chung Y; Jackson, Lauren S; Garber, Eric A E

2015-06-01

In 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defined the term ''gluten-free'' and identified a gap in the analytical methodology for detection and quantification of gluten in foods subjected to fermentation and hydrolysis. To ascertain the ability of current enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to detect and quantify gluten in fermented and hydrolyzed products, sorghum beer was spiked in the initial phases of production with 0, 20, and 200 μg/ml wheat gluten, and samples were collected throughout the beer production process. The samples were analyzed using five sandwich ELISAs and two competitive ELISAs and by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with Western analysis employing four antibodies (MIoBS, R5, G12, and Skerritt). The sensitivity of the MIoBS ELISA (0.25 ppm) enabled the reliable detection of gluten throughout the manufacturing process, including fermentation, when the initial concentration of 20 μg/ml dropped to 2 μg/ml. The R5 antibody-based and G12 antibody-based sandwich ELISAs were unable to reliably detect gluten, initially at 20 μg/ml, after the onset of production. The Skerritt antibody-based sandwich ELISA overestimated the gluten concentration in all samples. The R5 antibody-based and G12 antibody-based competitive ELISAs were less sensitive than the sandwich ELISAs and did not provide accurate results for quantifying gluten concentration. The Western analyses were able to detect gluten at less than 5 μg/ml in the samples and confirmed the results of the ELISAs. Although further research is necessary before all problems associated with detection and quantification of hydrolyzed and fermented gluten are resolved, the analytical methods recommended by the FDA for regulatory samples can detect ≥ 20 μg/ml gluten that has undergone brewing and fermentation processes associated with the manufacture of beer.

Graphene oxide assisted synthesis of GaN nanostructures for reducing cell adhesion.

PubMed

Yang, Rong; Zhang, Ying; Li, Jingying; Han, Qiusen; Zhang, Wei; Lu, Chao; Yang, Yanlian; Dong, Hongwei; Wang, Chen

2013-11-21

We report a general approach for the synthesis of large-scale gallium nitride (GaN) nanostructures by the graphene oxide (GO) assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. A modulation effect of GaN nanostructures on cell adhesion has been observed. The morphology of the GaN surface can be controlled by GO concentrations. This approach, which is based on the predictable choice of the ratio of GO to catalysts, can be readily extended to the synthesis of other materials with controllable nanostructures. Cell studies show that GaN nanostructures reduced cell adhesion significantly compared to GaN flat surfaces. The cell-repelling property is related to the nanostructure and surface wettability. These observations of the modulation effect on cell behaviors suggest new opportunities for novel GaN nanomaterial-based biomedical devices. We believe that potential applications will emerge in the biomedical and biotechnological fields.

Magnetic Binary Silicide Nanostructures.

PubMed

Goldfarb, Ilan; Cesura, Federico; Dascalu, Matan

2018-05-02

In spite of numerous advantageous properties of silicides, magnetic properties are not among them. Here, the magnetic properties of epitaxial binary silicide nanostructures are discussed. The vast majority of binary transition-metal silicides lack ferromagnetic order in their bulk-size crystals. Silicides based on rare-earth metals are usually weak ferromagnets or antiferromagnets, yet both groups tend to exhibit increased magnetic ordering in low-dimensional nanostructures, in particular at low temperatures. The origin of this surprising phenomenon lies in undercoordinated atoms at the nanostructure extremities, such as 2D (surfaces/interfaces), 1D (edges), and 0D (corners) boundaries. Uncompensated superspins of edge atoms increase the nanostructure magnetic shape anisotropy to the extent where it prevails over its magnetocrystalline counterpart, thus providing a plausible route toward the design of a magnetic response from nanostructure arrays in Si-based devices, such as bit-patterned magnetic recording media and spin injectors. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Rhodium Nanoparticles for Cancer Phototherapy.

PubMed

Kang, Seounghun; Shin, Woojun; Choi, Myung-Ho; Ahn, Minchul; Kim, Young-Kwan; Kim, Seongchan; Min, Dal-Hee; Jang, Hongje

2018-06-22

Rhodium nanoparticles are promising transition metal nanocatalysts for electrochemical and synthetic organic chemistry applications. However, notwithstanding their potential, to date, Rh nanoparticles have not been utilized for biological applications; there has been no cytotoxicity study of Rh reported in the literature. In this regard, the absence of a facile and controllable synthetic strategy of Rh nanostructures with various sizes and morphologies might be responsible for the lack of progress in this field. Herein, we have developed a synthetic strategy for Rh nanostructures with controllable morphology through an inverse-directional galvanic replacement reaction. Three types of Rh-based nanostructures-nanoshells, nanoframes, and porous nanoplates-were successfully synthesized. A plausible synthetic mechanism based on thermodynamic considerations has also been proposed. The cytotoxicity, surface functionalization, and photothermal therapeutic effect of manufactured Rh nanostructures were systematically investigated to reveal their potential for in vitro and in vivo biological applications. Considering the comparable behavior of porous Rh nanoplates to that of gold nanostructures that are widely used in nanomedicine, the present study introduces Rh-based nanostructures into the field of biological research.

Design Strategies for Aptamer-Based Biosensors

PubMed Central

Han, Kun; Liang, Zhiqiang; Zhou, Nandi

2010-01-01

Aptamers have been widely used as recognition elements for biosensor construction, especially in the detection of proteins or small molecule targets, and regarded as promising alternatives for antibodies in bioassay areas. In this review, we present an overview of reported design strategies for the fabrication of biosensors and classify them into four basic modes: target-induced structure switching mode, sandwich or sandwich-like mode, target-induced dissociation/displacement mode and competitive replacement mode. In view of the unprecedented advantages brought about by aptamers and smart design strategies, aptamer-based biosensors are expected to be one of the most promising devices in bioassay related applications. PMID:22399891

Development of aircraft lavatory compartments with improved fire resistance characteristics. Phase 2: Sandwich panel resin system development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, R. A.; Arnold, D. B.; Johnson, G. A.

1979-01-01

A NASA-funded program is described which aims to develop a resin system for use in the construction of lavatory wall panels, sidewall panels, and ceiling panels possessing flammability, smoke and gas emission, and toxicity (FS&T) characteristics superior to the existing epoxy resin. Candidate resins studied were phenolic, polyimide, and bismaleimide. Based on the results of a series of FS&T as well as mechanical and aesthetic property tests, a phenolic resin was chosen as the superior material. Material and process specifications covering the phenolic resin based materials were prepared and a method of rating sandwich panel performance was developed.

Optimal Damping Behavior of a Composite Sandwich Beam Reinforced with Coated Fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lurie, S.; Solyaev, Y.; Ustenko, A.

2018-04-01

In the present paper, the effective damping properties of a symmetric foam-core sandwich beam with composite face plates reinforced with coated fibers is studied. A glass fiber-epoxy composite with additional rubber-toughened epoxy coatings on the fibers is considered as the material of the face plates. A micromechanical analysis of the effective properties of the unidirectional lamina is conducted based on the generalized self-consistent method and the viscoelastic correspondence principle. The effective complex moduli of composite face plates with a symmetric angle-ply structure are evaluated based on classical lamination theory. A modified Mead-Markus model is utilized to evaluate the fundamental modal loss factor of a simply supported sandwich beam with a polyurethane core. The viscoelastic frequency-dependent behaviors of the core and face plate materials are both considered. The properties of the face plates are evaluated based on a micromechanical analysis and found to implicitly depend on frequency; thus, an iterative procedure is applied to find the natural frequencies of the lateral vibrations of the beam. The optimal values of the coating thickness, lamination angle and core thickness for the best multi-scale damping behavior of the beam are found.

Survey of Hyperspectral and Multispectral Imaging Technologies (Etude sur les technologies d’imagerie hyperspectrale et multispectrale)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

but relatively low acoustic figure of merit (the ability to couple acoustic wave to the crystal). In the infrared region TeO2 crystal (0.35 – 5.0 µm...filter. More in particular, it is based on a Lyot filter, which is a sandwich of birefringent liquid crystal, glass , quartz placed between two...variable retardance element in the sandwich composed of quartz, glass , polarizers and liquid crystal itself. To achieve the desired wavelength

A continuum state variable theory to model the size-dependent surface energy of nanostructures.

PubMed

Jamshidian, Mostafa; Thamburaja, Prakash; Rabczuk, Timon

2015-10-14

We propose a continuum-based state variable theory to quantify the excess surface free energy density throughout a nanostructure. The size-dependent effect exhibited by nanoplates and spherical nanoparticles i.e. the reduction of surface energy with reducing nanostructure size is well-captured by our continuum state variable theory. Our constitutive theory is also able to predict the reducing energetic difference between the surface and interior (bulk) portions of a nanostructure with decreasing nanostructure size.

A sensitive sandwich-type electrochemical aptasensor for thrombin detection based on platinum nanoparticles decorated carbon nanocages as signal labels.

PubMed

Gao, Fenglei; Du, Lili; Zhang, Yu; Zhou, Fuyi; Tang, Daoquan

2016-12-15

In this work, a novel and sensitive sandwich-type electrochemical aptasensor has been developed for thrombin detection based on platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) decorated carbon nanocages (CNCs) as signal tags. The morphological and compositional of the Pt NPs/CNCs were examined using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the Pt NPs with about 3-5nm in diameter were well dispersed on the surface of CNCs. The thiolated aptamer was firstly immobilized on the gold electrode to capture the thrombin molecules, and then aptamer functionalized Pt NPs/CNCs nanocomposites were used to fabricate a sandwich sensing platform. Then, the high-content Pt NPs on carbon nanocages acting as hydrogen peroxide-mimicking enzyme catalyzed the reduction of H2O2, resulting in significant electrochemical signal amplification. Differential pulse voltammetry is employed to detect thrombin with different concentrations. Under optimized conditions, the approach provided a good linear response range from 0.05 pM to 20nM with a low detection limit of 10fM. This Pt NPs/CNCs-based aptasensor shows good precision, acceptable stability and reproducibility, which provided a promising strategy for electrochemical aptamer-based detection of other biomolecules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singleton, Jr., Robert

This report documents the implementation of several related 1D heat flow problems in the verification package ExactPack [1]. In particular, the planar sandwich class defined in Ref. [2], as well as the classes PlanarSandwichHot, PlanarSandwichHalf, and other generalizations of the planar sandwich problem, are defined and documented here. A rather general treatment of 1D heat flow is presented, whose main results have been implemented in the class Rod1D. All planar sandwich classes are derived from the parent class Rod1D.

TiO2@Pt@CeO2 nanocomposite as a bifunctional catalyst for enhancing photo-reduction of Cr (VI) and photo-oxidation of benzyl alcohol.

PubMed

Li, Shunxing; Cai, Jiabai; Wu, Xueqing; Liu, Biwen; Chen, Qiaoying; Li, Yuehai; Zheng, Fengying

2018-03-15

An solar-light-driven and bifunctional photocatalyst was designed for photo-reduction of Cr(VI) and selective photo-oxidation of benzyl alcohol into benzaldehyde in the presence of water under ambient conditions. Double-shelled and sandwiched TiO 2 @Pt@CeO 2 hollow spheres were prepared by using functionalized polystyrene spheres, sol-gel, hydrothermal reaction, and calcination. The Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were controllably loaded between the TiO 2 shell and CeO 2 shell. Under solar-light irradiation, the photo-reduction rate of Cr(VI) (μmol h -1 ) was in the order of TiO 2 @Pt@CeO 2 (1.901) > TiO 2 @CeO 2 (1.424) > TiO 2 (1.040) > CeO 2 (0.992). Among the above-mentioned photocatalysts, the conversion rate of benzyl alcohol for TiO 2 @Pt@CeO 2 was also the best. These results were attributed to the combination of TiO 2 and CeO 2 as photocatalyst and oxygen buffer, the double-shelled and sandwiched nanostructure, and the addition of Pt NPs as cocatalyst and electron trap site, which could store and shuttle photo-generated electrons, reduce the recombination of the electron-hole, and then enhance photo-generation of active radicals. This conclusion was verified by the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Considering the versatile combination of photocatalyst, oxygen buffer and cocatalyst, this work could provide new insights into the design of high-performance bifunctional photocatalysts for heavy metal removal and selective synthesis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sandwiched ZnO@Au@CdS nanorod arrays with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytical performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Shoutian; Wang, Yingying; Fan, Guanghua; Gao, Renxi; Liu, Wenjun

2017-11-01

The development of high-performance photocatalysts is central to efforts focused on taking advantage of solar energy to overcome environmental and energy crises. Integrating different functional materials artfully into nanostructures can deliver more efficient photocatalytic activity. Here, sandwiched ZnO@Au@CdS nanorod films were synthesized via successive ZnO nanorod electrodeposition, Au sputtering and CdS electrodeposition. The as-synthesized composites were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer, x-ray diffractometer, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Their photocatalytic activity was assessed by degrading Rhodamine B solution under visible light irradiation. ZnO@Au@CdS exhibited better photocatalytic performance than ZnO@CdS throughout the visible light region, and the corresponding enhancement factor of Au nanoparticles was measured as a function of CdS loading amount, and it could reach 190% with CdS deposition for 1 min. The normalized rate constant could reach 0.387 h-1 for ZnO@Au@CdS-1min, which was equivalent to or better than results in reference photocatalysts. The enhancement mechanism of Au nanoparticles was estimated by comparing the monochromatic photocatalytic action spectra with the absorption spectrum of ZnO@Au@CdS, and it was mainly determined by incident photon energy. With selective excitation of Au nanoparticles by incident photons, the excited hot electrons in Au NPs are transferred to the conduction band of ZnO to boost photocatalytic reaction. With selective excitation of CdS, the enhanced interband absorption of CdS and relay station effect of Au nanoparticles should be responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic performance. Our work not only opens the door to the design of efficient supported photocatalysts, but also helps to understand the enhancement mechanism of LSPR effect on the photoelectric conversion of semiconductors.

Periodic nanostructural materials for nanoplasmonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Dukhyun

2017-02-01

Nanoscale periodic material design and fabrication are essentially fundamental requirement for basic scientific researches and industrial applications of nanoscience and engineering. Innovative, effective, reproducible, large-area uniform, tunable and robust nanostructure/material syntheses are still challenging. Here, I would like to introduce the novel periodic nanostructural materials particularly with uniformly ordered nanoporous or nanoflower structures, which are fabricated by simple, cost-effective, and high-throughput wet chemical methods. I also report large-area periodic plasmonic nanostructures based on template-based nanolithography. The surface morphology and optical properties are characterized by SEM and UV-vis. spectroscopy. Furthermore, their enhancement factor is evaluated by using SERS signals.

Kinetically Controlled Synthesis of Pt-Based One-Dimensional Hierarchically Porous Nanostructures with Large Mesopores as Highly Efficient ORR Catalysts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fu, Shaofang; Zhu, Chengzhou; Song, Junhua

2016-12-28

Rational design and construction of Pt-based porous nanostructures with large mesopores have triggered significant considerations because of their high surface area and more efficient mass transport. Hydrochloric acid-induced kinetic reduction of metal precursors in the presence of soft template F-127 and hard template tellurium nanowires has been successfully demonstrated to construct one-dimensional hierarchical porous PtCu alloy nanostructures with large mesopores. Moreover, the electrochemical experiments demonstrated that the resultant PtCu hierarchically porous nanostructures with optimized composition exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction.

Impact-damaged graphite-thermoplastic trapezoidal-corrugation sandwich and semi-sandwich panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jegley, D.

1993-01-01

The results of a study of the effects of impact damage on compression-loaded trapezoidal-corrugation sandwich and semi-sandwich graphite-thermoplastic panels are presented. Sandwich panels with two identical face sheets and a trapezoidal corrugated core between them, and semi-sandwich panels with a corrugation attached to a single skin are considered in this study. Panels were designed, fabricated and tested. The panels were made using the manufacturing process of thermoforming, a less-commonly used technique for fabricating composite parts. Experimental results for unimpacted control panels and panels subjected to impact damage prior to loading are presented. Little work can be found in the literature about these configurations of thermoformed panels.

Nanostructures based on alumina hydroxides inhibit tumor growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fomenko, A. N.; Korovin, M. S.

2017-09-01

Nanoparticles and nanostructured materials are one of the most promising developments for cancer therapy. Gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles based on iron and its oxides and other metal oxides have been widely used in diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Much less research attention has been payed to nanoparticles and nanostructures based on aluminum oxides and hydroxides as materials for cancer diagnosis and treatment. However recent investigations have shown promising results regarding these objects. Here, we review the antitumor results obtained with AlOOH nanoparticles.

Formation and shape-control of hierarchical cobalt nanostructures using quaternary ammonium salts in aqueous media

PubMed Central

Deshmukh, Ruchi; Mehra, Anurag

2017-01-01

Aggregation and self-assembly are influenced by molecular interactions. With precise control of molecular interactions, in this study, a wide range of nanostructures ranging from zero-dimensional nanospheres to hierarchical nanoplates and spindles have been successfully synthesized at ambient temperature in aqueous solution. The nanostructures reported here are formed by aggregation of spherical seed particles (monomers) in presence of quaternary ammonium salts. Hydroxide ions and a magnetic moment of the monomers are essential to induce shape anisotropy in the nanostructures. The cobalt nanoplates are studied in detail, and a growth mechanism based on collision, aggregation, and crystal consolidation is proposed based on a electron microscopy studies. The growth mechanism is generalized for rods, spindles, and nearly spherical nanostructures, obtained by varying the cation group in the quaternary ammonium hydroxides. Electron diffraction shows different predominant lattice planes on the edge and on the surface of a nanoplate. The study explains, hereto unaddressed, the temporal evolution of complex magnetic nanostructures. These ferromagnetic nanostructures represent an interesting combination of shape anisotropy and magnetic characteristics. PMID:28326240

Sound transmission loss of composite sandwich panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ran

Light composite sandwich panels are increasingly used in automobiles, ships and aircraft, because of the advantages they offer of high strength-to-weight ratios. However, the acoustical properties of these light and stiff structures can be less desirable than those of equivalent metal panels. These undesirable properties can lead to high interior noise levels. A number of researchers have studied the acoustical properties of honeycomb and foam sandwich panels. Not much work, however, has been carried out on foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels. In this dissertation, governing equations for the forced vibration of asymmetric sandwich panels are developed. An analytical expression for modal densities of symmetric sandwich panels is derived from a sixth-order governing equation. A boundary element analysis model for the sound transmission loss of symmetric sandwich panels is proposed. Measurements of the modal density, total loss factor, radiation loss factor, and sound transmission loss of foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels with different configurations and thicknesses are presented. Comparisons between the predicted sound transmission loss values obtained from wave impedance analysis, statistical energy analysis, boundary element analysis, and experimental values are presented. The wave impedance analysis model provides accurate predictions of sound transmission loss for the thin foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels at frequencies above their first resonance frequencies. The predictions from the statistical energy analysis model are in better agreement with the experimental transmission loss values of the sandwich panels when the measured radiation loss factor values near coincidence are used instead of the theoretical values for single-layer panels. The proposed boundary element analysis model provides more accurate predictions of sound transmission loss for the thick foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels than either the wave impedance analysis model or the statistical energy analysis model.

Development of a monoclonal antibody-based sandwich-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of abrin in food samples.

PubMed

Zhou, Yu; Tian, Xiang-Li; Li, Yan-Song; Pan, Feng-Guang; Zhang, Yuan-Yuan; Zhang, Jun-Hui; Wang, Xin-Rui; Ren, Hong-Lin; Lu, Shi-Ying; Li, Zhao-Hui; Liu, Zeng-Shan; Chen, Qi-Jun; Liu, Jing-Qiu

2012-12-15

Abrin is a plant toxin, which can be easily isolated from the seeds of Abrus precatorius. It may be used as a biological warfare agent. In order to detect abrin in food samples, a two-layer sandwich format enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on the monoclonal antibody (mAb) (as capture antibody) and rabbit polyclonal serum (as detecting antibody) was developed and applied for the determination of abrin in some food matrices. The linear range of the mAb was 1-100 μg L(-1) with a detection limit of 0.5 μg L(-1) for abrin in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The recoveries of abrin from sausage, beer and milk samples ranged 97.5-98.6%, 95.8-98.4% and 94.8-9.6%, respectively, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 3.7% or less. The newly developed sandwich ELISA using the mAb appears to be a reliable and useful method for detection of abrin in sausage, beer and milk. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

One-Dimensional Nanostructures: Microfluidic-Based Synthesis, Alignment and Integration towards Functional Sensing Devices

PubMed Central

Xing, Yanlong; Dittrich, Petra S.

2018-01-01

Microfluidic-based synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures offers tremendous advantages over bulk approaches e.g., the laminar flow, reduced sample consumption and control of self-assembly of nanostructures. In addition to the synthesis, the integration of 1D nanomaterials into microfluidic chips can enable the development of diverse functional microdevices. 1D nanomaterials have been used in applications such as catalysts, electronic instrumentation and sensors for physical parameters or chemical compounds and biomolecules and hence, can be considered as building blocks. Here, we outline and critically discuss promising strategies for microfluidic-assisted synthesis, alignment and various chemical and biochemical applications of 1D nanostructures. In particular, the use of 1D nanostructures for sensing chemical/biological compounds are reviewed. PMID:29303990

Assembling Hollow Cobalt Sulfide Nanocages Array on Graphene-like Manganese Dioxide Nanosheets for Superior Electrochemical Capacitors.

PubMed

Chen, Hao; Wang, Min Qiang; Yu, Yanan; Liu, Heng; Lu, Shi-Yu; Bao, Shu-Juan; Xu, Maowen

2017-10-11

Metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived hollow cobalt sulfides have attracted extensive attention due to their porous shell that provides rich redox reactions for energy storage. However, their ultradispersed structure and the large size of MOF precursors result in relatively low conductivity, stability, and tap density. Therefore, the construction of an array of continuous hollow cages and tailoring of the inner cavity of MOF-derived materials is very effective for enhancing the electrochemical performance. Herein, we in situ assembled small Co-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) on the both sides of negatively charged MnO 2 nanosheets to fabricate a hierarchical sandwich-type composite with hollow cobalt sulfide nanocages/graphene-like MnO 2 . The graphene-like MnO 2 nanosheets acted not only as a structure-directing agent to grow a ZIF-67 array but also as a promising electroactive material of electrochemical capacitors to provide capacitance. As an electrode material of supercapacitors, the as-prepared composites exhibit high specific capacitance (1635 F g -1 at 1 A g -1 ), great rate performance (reaching 1160 F g -1 at 10 A g -1 ), and excellent cycling stability (80% retention after 5000 cycles). The outstanding electrochemical properties of our designed materials can be attributed to the unique nanostructure that improved electrical conductivity, created more reactive active sites, and increased the diffusion pathway for electrolyte ions.

Reliable contact fabrication on nanostructured Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric materials.

PubMed

Feng, Shien-Ping; Chang, Ya-Huei; Yang, Jian; Poudel, Bed; Yu, Bo; Ren, Zhifeng; Chen, Gang

2013-05-14

A cost-effective and reliable Ni-Au contact on nanostructured Bi2Te3-based alloys for a solar thermoelectric generator (STEG) is reported. The use of MPS SAMs creates a strong covalent binding and more nucleation sites with even distribution for electroplating contact electrodes on nanostructured thermoelectric materials. A reliable high-performance flat-panel STEG can be obtained by using this new method.

Electronic structure of the benzene dimer cation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pieniazek, Piotr A.; Krylov, Anna I.; Bradforth, Stephen E.

2007-07-01

The benzene and benzene dimer cations are studied using the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster model with single and double substitutions for ionized systems. The ten lowest electronic states of the dimer at t-shaped, sandwich, and displaced sandwich configurations are described and cataloged based on the character of the constituent fragment molecular orbitals. The character of the states, bonding patterns, and important features of the electronic spectrum are explained using qualitative dimer molecular orbital linear combination of fragment molecular orbital framework. Relaxed ground state geometries are obtained for all isomers. Calculations reveal that the lowest energy structure of the cation has a displaced sandwich structure and a binding energy of 20kcal/mol, while the t-shaped isomer is 6kcal/mol higher. The calculated electronic spectra agree well with experimental gas phase action spectra and femtosecond transient absorption in liquid benzene. Both sandwich and t-shaped structures feature intense charge resonance bands, whose location is very sensitive to the interfragment distance. Change in the electronic state ordering was observed between σ and πu states, which correlate to the B˜ and C˜ bands of the monomer, suggesting a reassignment of the local excitation peaks in the gas phase experimental spectrum.

Properties of polyurethane foam/coconut coir fiber as a core material and as a sandwich composites component

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azmi, M. A.; Abdullah, H. Z.; Idris, M. I.

2013-12-01

This research focuses on the fabrication and characterization of sandwich composite panels using glass fiber composite skin and polyurethane foam reinforced coconut coir fiber core. The main objectives are to characterize the physical and mechanical properties and to elucidate the effect of coconut coir fibers in polyurethane foam cores and sandwich composite panels. Coconut coir fibers were used as reinforcement in polyurethane foams in which later were applied as the core in sandwich composites ranged from 5 wt% to 20 wt%. The physical and mechanical properties found to be significant at 5 wt% coconut coir fiber in polyurethane foam cores as well as in sandwich composites. It was found that composites properties serve better in sandwich composites construction.

Innovative nanostructures for highly sensitive vibrational biosensing (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popp, Juergen; Mayerhöfer, Thomas; Cialla-May, Dana; Weber, Karina; Huebner, Uwe

2016-03-01

Employing vibrational spectroscopy (IR-absorption and Raman spectroscopy) allows for the labelfree detection of molecular specific fingerprints of inorganic, organic and biological substances. The sensitivity of vibrational spectroscopy can be improved by several orders of magnitude via the application of plasmonic active surfaces. Within this contribution we will discuss two such approaches, namely surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as well as surface enhanced IR absorption (SEIRA). It will be shown that SERS using metal colloids as SERS active substrate in combination with a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device enables high throughput and reproducible measurements with highest sensitivity and specificity. The application of such a LOC-SERS approach for therapeutic drug monitoring (e.g. quantitative detection of antibiotics in a urine matrix) will be presented. Furthermore, we will introduce innovative bottom-up strategies to prepare SERS-active nanostructures coated with a lipophilic sensor layer as one-time use SERS substrates for specific food analysis (e.g. quantitative detection of toxic food colorants). The second part of this contribution presents a slit array metamaterial perfect absorber for IR sensing applications consisting of a dielectric layer sandwiched between two metallic layers of which the upper layer is perforated with a periodic array of slits. Light-matter interaction is greatly amplified in the slits, where also the analyte is concentrated, as the surface of the substrate is covered by a thin silica layer. Thus, already small concentrations of analytes down to a monolayer can be detected by refractive index sensing and identified by their spectral fingerprints with a standard mid-infrared lab spectrometer.

The Process of Nanostructuring of Metal (Iron) Matrix in Composite Materials for Directional Control of the Mechanical Properties

PubMed Central

Zemtsova, Elena

2014-01-01

We justified theoretical and experimental bases of synthesis of new class of highly nanostructured composite nanomaterials based on metal matrix with titanium carbide nanowires as dispersed phase. A new combined method for obtaining of metal iron-based composite materials comprising the powder metallurgy processes and the surface design of the dispersed phase is considered. The following stages of material synthesis are investigated: (1) preparation of porous metal matrix; (2) surface structuring of the porous metal matrix by TiC nanowires; (3) pressing and sintering to give solid metal composite nanostructured materials based on iron with TiC nanostructures with size 1–50 nm. This material can be represented as the material type “frame in the frame” that represents iron metal frame reinforcing the frame of different chemical compositions based on TiC. Study of material functional properties showed that the mechanical properties of composite materials based on iron with TiC dispersed phase despite the presence of residual porosity are comparable to the properties of the best grades of steel containing expensive dopants and obtained by molding. This will solve the problem of developing a new generation of nanostructured metal (iron-based) materials with improved mechanical properties for the different areas of technology. PMID:24695459

The process of nanostructuring of metal (iron) matrix in composite materials for directional control of the mechanical properties.

PubMed

Zemtsova, Elena; Yurchuk, Denis; Smirnov, Vladimir

2014-01-01

We justified theoretical and experimental bases of synthesis of new class of highly nanostructured composite nanomaterials based on metal matrix with titanium carbide nanowires as dispersed phase. A new combined method for obtaining of metal iron-based composite materials comprising the powder metallurgy processes and the surface design of the dispersed phase is considered. The following stages of material synthesis are investigated: (1) preparation of porous metal matrix; (2) surface structuring of the porous metal matrix by TiC nanowires; (3) pressing and sintering to give solid metal composite nanostructured materials based on iron with TiC nanostructures with size 1-50 nm. This material can be represented as the material type "frame in the frame" that represents iron metal frame reinforcing the frame of different chemical compositions based on TiC. Study of material functional properties showed that the mechanical properties of composite materials based on iron with TiC dispersed phase despite the presence of residual porosity are comparable to the properties of the best grades of steel containing expensive dopants and obtained by molding. This will solve the problem of developing a new generation of nanostructured metal (iron-based) materials with improved mechanical properties for the different areas of technology.

Environment dependent enhanced photoluminescence and Boolean logic gates like behavior of Bi2O3 and Ag:Bi2O3 nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hariharan, S.; Karthikeyan, B.

2018-03-01

In the evolution of nanotechnology research for smart and precise sensor fabrication, here we report the implementation of simple logic gate operations performing by luminescent nanostructures in biomolecule environment based on photoluminescence (PL) technique. This present work deals with the luminescence property of α-Bi2O3 and Ag modified α-Bi2O3 nanostructures for D-glucose and Bovine serum albumin (BSA) sensing applications. These nanostructures are prepared by simple co-precipitation method and their morphology are examined using transmission electron microscope (TEM). We explore the PL characteristics of the prepared nanostructures and observe their change in PL intensity in the presence of D-glucose and BSA molecules. Enhancement in PL intensity is observed in the presence of D-glucose and BSA. Based on the PL response of prepared nanostructures in the biomolecule environment, we demonstrate biophotonic logic gates including YES, PASS 0, OR and INHIBIT gates.

Morphological, Structural and Optical Evolution of Ag Nanostructures on c-Plane GaN Through the Variation of Deposition Amount and Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sui, Mao; Li, Ming-Yu; Pandey, Puran; Zhang, Quanzhen; Kunwar, Sundar; Lee, Jihoon

2018-03-01

Owing to their tunable properties, Ag nanostructures have been widely adapted in various applications and the morphological control can determine their performance and effectiveness. In this work, we demonstrate the morphological and optical evolution of Ag nanostructures on GaN (0001) by the systematic control of deposition amount at two distinctive annealing temperatures. Based on the Volmer-Weber and coalescence growth models, the nanostructure growth commenced by the thermal solid-state-dewetting evolve in terms of size, density and configuration. At 450 °C, the round-dome shaped Ag nanoparticles (regime I), irregular Ag nano-mounds (regime II) and void-layer structures (regime III) are observed along with the gradually increased deposition amount. As a sharp distinction, the solid state dewetting process occur more radically at 700 °C and also, the Ag sublimation and the effect on the nanostructure formation are observed in a clear regime shift scaled by the deposition amount. Meanwhile, a strong dependency of reflectance spectra evolution on the Ag nanostructure morphology is witnessed for both sets. In particular, Ag dipolar resonance peaks are significantly red-shifted from VIS to NIR regions along with the nanostructure evolution. The reflectance, PL and Raman intensity variation are also observed and discussed based on the evolution of Ag nanostructures.

Binary lipids-based nanostructured lipid carriers for improved oral bioavailability of silymarin.

PubMed

Shangguan, Mingzhu; Lu, Yi; Qi, Jianping; Han, Jin; Tian, Zhiqiang; Xie, Yunchang; Hu, Fuqiang; Yuan, Hailong; Wu, Wei

2014-02-01

The main purpose of this study was to prepare binary lipids-based nanostructured lipid carriers to improve the oral bioavailability of silymarin, a poorly water-soluble liver protectant. Silymarin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers were prepared by the method of high-pressure homogenization with glycerol distearates (Precirol ATO-5) and oleic acid as the solid and liquid lipids, respectively, and lecithin (Lipoid E 100) and Tween-80 as the emulsifiers. The silymarin-nanostructured lipid carrier prepared under optimum conditions was spherical in shape with mean particle size of ∼78.87 nm, entrapment efficiency of 87.55%, loading capacity of 8.32%, and zeta potential of -65.3 mV, respectively. In vitro release of silymarin-nanostructured lipid carriers was very limited even after 12 h, while in vitro lipolysis showed fast digestion of nanostructured lipid carriers within 1 h. Relative oral bioavailability of silymarin-nanostructured lipid carriers in Beagle dogs was 2.54- and 3.10-fold that of marketed Legalon® and silymarin solid dispersion pellets, respectively. It was concluded that nanostructured lipid carriers were potential drug delivery systems to improve the bioavailability of silymarin. Other than improved dissolution, alternative mechanisms such as facilitated absorption as well as lymphatic transport may contribute to bioavailability enhancement.

The capacity fading mechanism and improvement of cycling stability in MoS2-based anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Haibo; Li, Feng; Hu, Chenli; Liang, Pei; Cao, Dan; Chen, Xiaoshuang

2016-01-01

Two-dimensional (2D) layered MoS2 nanosheets possess great potential as anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), but they still suffer from poor cycling performance. Improving the cycling stability of electrode materials depends on a deep understanding of their dynamic structural evolution and reaction kinetics in the lithiation process. Herein, thermodynamic phase diagrams and the lithiation dynamics of MoS2-based nanostructures with the intercalation of lithium ions are studied by using first-principles calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Our results demonstrate that the continuous intercalation of Li ions induces structural destruction of 2H phase MoS2 nanosheets in the discharge process that follows a layer-by-layer dissociation mechanism. Meanwhile, the intercalation of Li ions leads to a structural transition of MoS2 nanosheets from the 2H to the 1T phase due to the ultralow transition barriers (~0.1 eV). We find that the phase transition can slow down the dissociation of MoS2 nanosheets during lithiation. The result can be applied to explain extensive experimental observation of the fast capacity fading of MoS2-based anode materials between the first and the subsequent discharges. To suppress the dissociation of MoS2 nanosheets in the lithiation process, we propose a strategy by constructing a sandwich-like graphene/MoS2/graphene structure that indicates high chemical stability, superior conductivity, and high Li-ion mobility in the charge/discharge process, implying the possibility to induce an improvement in the anode cycling performance. This work opens a new route to rational design layered transition-metal disulfide (TMD) anode materials for LIBs with superior cycling stability and electrochemical performance.Two-dimensional (2D) layered MoS2 nanosheets possess great potential as anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), but they still suffer from poor cycling performance. Improving the cycling stability of electrode materials depends on a deep understanding of their dynamic structural evolution and reaction kinetics in the lithiation process. Herein, thermodynamic phase diagrams and the lithiation dynamics of MoS2-based nanostructures with the intercalation of lithium ions are studied by using first-principles calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Our results demonstrate that the continuous intercalation of Li ions induces structural destruction of 2H phase MoS2 nanosheets in the discharge process that follows a layer-by-layer dissociation mechanism. Meanwhile, the intercalation of Li ions leads to a structural transition of MoS2 nanosheets from the 2H to the 1T phase due to the ultralow transition barriers (~0.1 eV). We find that the phase transition can slow down the dissociation of MoS2 nanosheets during lithiation. The result can be applied to explain extensive experimental observation of the fast capacity fading of MoS2-based anode materials between the first and the subsequent discharges. To suppress the dissociation of MoS2 nanosheets in the lithiation process, we propose a strategy by constructing a sandwich-like graphene/MoS2/graphene structure that indicates high chemical stability, superior conductivity, and high Li-ion mobility in the charge/discharge process, implying the possibility to induce an improvement in the anode cycling performance. This work opens a new route to rational design layered transition-metal disulfide (TMD) anode materials for LIBs with superior cycling stability and electrochemical performance. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Models and energetics of Li adsorption/intercalation onto MoS2 sheets, details of the phase diagram calculations, schematic illustration for the structural evolution of lithiated MoS2 nanosheets, AIMD trajectories for lithiated silicene/MoS2/silicene composites, and movies for recording the AIMD simulation results. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr07909h

Kinetically Controlled Synthesis of Pt-Based One-Dimensional Hierarchically Porous Nanostructures with Large Mesopores as Highly Efficient ORR Catalysts.

PubMed

Fu, Shaofang; Zhu, Chengzhou; Song, Junhua; Engelhard, Mark H; Xia, Haibing; Du, Dan; Lin, Yuehe

2016-12-28

Rational design and construction of Pt-based porous nanostructures with large mesopores have triggered significant considerations because of their high surface area and more efficient mass transport. Hydrochloric acid-induced kinetically controlled reduction of metal precursors in the presence of soft template F-127 and hard template tellurium nanowires has been successfully demonstrated to construct one-dimensional hierarchical porous PtCu alloy nanostructures with large mesopores. Moreover, the electrochemical experiments demonstrated that the PtCu hierarchically porous nanostructures synthesized under optimized conditions exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction in acid media.

Rapid Solid-State Metathesis Routes to Nanostructured Silicon-Germainum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, Marc (Inventor); Kaner, Richard B. (Inventor); Bux, Sabah K. (Inventor); Fleurial, Jean-Pierre (Inventor)

2014-01-01

Methods for producing nanostructured silicon and silicon-germanium via solid state metathesis (SSM). The method of forming nanostructured silicon comprises the steps of combining a stoichiometric mixture of silicon tetraiodide (SiI4) and an alkaline earth metal silicide into a homogeneous powder, and initating the reaction between the silicon tetraiodide (SiI4) with the alkaline earth metal silicide. The method of forming nanostructured silicon-germanium comprises the steps of combining a stoichiometric mixture of silicon tetraiodide (SiI4) and a germanium based precursor into a homogeneous powder, and initiating the reaction between the silicon tetraiodide (SiI4) with the germanium based precursors.

Building one-dimensional oxidenanostructure arrays on conductive metal substrates for lithium-ion battery anodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Jian; Li, Yuanyuan; Liu, Jinping; Huang, Xintang

2011-01-01

Lithium ion battery (LIB) is potentially one of the most attractive energy storage devices. To meet the demands of future high-power and high-energy density requirements in both thin-film microbatteries and conventional batteries, it is challenging to explore novel nanostructured anode materials instead of conventional graphite. Compared to traditional electrodes based on nanostructure powder paste, directly grown ordered nanostructure array electrodes not only simplify the electrode processing, but also offer remarkable advantages such as fast electron transport/collection and ion diffusion, sufficient electrochemical reaction of individual nanostructures, enhanced material-electrolyte contact area and facile accommodation of the strains caused by lithium intercalation and de-intercalation. This article provides a brief overview of the present status in the area of LIB anodes based on one-dimensional nanostructure arrays growing directly on conductive inert metal substrates, with particular attention to metal oxides synthesized by an anodized aluminamembrane (AAM)-free solution-based or hydrothermal methods. Both the scientific developments and the techniques and challenges are critically analyzed.

Study of advanced composite structural design concepts for an arrow wing supersonic cruise configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, M. J.; Grande, D. L.

1978-01-01

Based on estimated graphite and boron fiber properties, allowable stresses and strains were established for advanced composite materials. Stiffened panel and conventional sandwich panel concepts were designed and analyzed, using graphite/polyimide and boron/polyimide materials. The conventional sandwich panel was elected as the structural concept for the modified wing structure. Upper and lower surface panels of the arrow wing structure were then redesigned, using high strength graphite/polyimide sandwich panels, retaining the titanium spars and ribs from the prior study. The ATLAS integrated analysis and design system was used for stress analysis and automated resizing of surface panels. Flutter analysis of the hybrid structure showed a significant decrease in flutter speed relative to the titanium wing design. The flutter speed was increased to that of the titanium design by selective increase in laminate thickness and by using graphite fibers with properties intermediate between high strength and high modulus values.

The development of optimal lightweight truss-core sandwich panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langhorst, Benjamin Robert

Sandwich structures effectively provide lightweight stiffness and strength by sandwiching a low-density core between stiff face sheets. The performance of lightweight truss-core sandwich panels is enhanced through the design of novel truss arrangements and the development of methods by which the panels may be optimized. An introduction to sandwich panels is presented along with an overview of previous research of truss-core sandwich panels. Three alternative truss arrangements are developed and their corresponding advantages, disadvantages, and optimization routines are discussed. Finally, performance is investigated by theoretical and numerical methods, and it is shown that the relative structural efficiency of alternative truss cores varies with panel weight and load-carrying capacity. Discrete truss core sandwich panels can be designed to serve bending applications more efficiently than traditional pyramidal truss arrangements at low panel weights and load capacities. Additionally, discrete-truss cores permit the design of heterogeneous cores, which feature unit cells that vary in geometry throughout the panel according to the internal loads present at each unit cell's location. A discrete-truss core panel may be selectively strengthened to more efficiently support bending loads. Future research is proposed and additional areas for lightweight sandwich panel development are explained.

Potentiometric Zinc Ion Sensor Based on Honeycomb-Like NiO Nanostructures

PubMed Central

Abbasi, Mazhar Ali; Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Hussain, Mushtaque; Khan, Yaqoob; Khan, Azam; Nur, Omer; Willander, Magnus

2012-01-01

In this study honeycomb-like NiO nanostructures were grown on nickel foam by a simple hydrothermal growth method. The NiO nanostructures were characterized by field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The characterized NiO nanostructures were uniform, dense and polycrystalline in the crystal phase. In addition to this, the NiO nanostructures were used in the development of a zinc ion sensor electrode by functionalization with the highly selective zinc ion ionophore 12-crown-4. The developed zinc ion sensor electrode has shown a good linear potentiometric response for a wide range of zinc ion concentrations, ranging from 0.001 mM to 100 mM, with sensitivity of 36 mV/decade. The detection limit of the present zinc ion sensor was found to be 0.0005 mM and it also displays a fast response time of less than 10 s. The proposed zinc ion sensor electrode has also shown good reproducibility, repeatability, storage stability and selectivity. The zinc ion sensor based on the functionalized NiO nanostructures was also used as indicator electrode in potentiometric titrations and it has demonstrated an acceptable stoichiometric relationship for the determination of zinc ion in unknown samples. The NiO nanostructures-based zinc ion sensor has potential for analysing zinc ion in various industrial, clinical and other real samples. PMID:23202217

Optimization of composite sandwich cover panels subjected to compressive loadings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruz, Juan R.

1991-01-01

An analysis and design method is presented for the design of composite sandwich cover panels that includes transverse shear effects and damage tolerance considerations. This method is incorporated into an optimization program called SANDOP (SANDwich OPtimization). SANDOP is used in the present study to design optimized composite sandwich cover panels for transport aircraft wing applications as a demonstration of its capabilities. The results of this design study indicate that optimized composite sandwich cover panels have approximately the same structural efficiency as stiffened composite cover panels designed to identical constraints. Results indicate that inplane stiffness requirements have a large effect on the weight of these composite sandwich cover panels at higher load levels. Increasing the maximum allowable strain and the upper percentage limit of the 0 degree and plus or minus 45 degree plies can yield significant weight savings. The results show that the structural efficiency of these optimized composite sandwich cover panels is relatively insensitive to changes in core density.

Optical Biosensors Based on Semiconductor Nanostructures

PubMed Central

Martín-Palma, Raúl J.; Manso, Miguel; Torres-Costa, Vicente

2009-01-01

The increasing availability of semiconductor-based nanostructures with novel and unique properties has sparked widespread interest in their use in the field of biosensing. The precise control over the size, shape and composition of these nanostructures leads to the accurate control of their physico-chemical properties and overall behavior. Furthermore, modifications can be made to the nanostructures to better suit their integration with biological systems, leading to such interesting properties as enhanced aqueous solubility, biocompatibility or bio-recognition. In the present work, the most significant applications of semiconductor nanostructures in the field of optical biosensing will be reviewed. In particular, the use of quantum dots as fluorescent bioprobes, which is the most widely used application, will be discussed. In addition, the use of some other nanometric structures in the field of biosensing, including porous semiconductors and photonic crystals, will be presented. PMID:22346691

Signal Amplification in Field Effect-Based Sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immunosensing by Tuned Buffer Concentration with Ionic Strength Adjuster.

PubMed

Kumar, Satyendra; Kumar, Narendra; Panda, Siddhartha

2016-04-01

Miniaturization of the sandwich enzyme-based immunosensor has several advantages but could result in lower signal strength due to lower enzyme loading. Hence, technologies for amplification of the signal are needed. Signal amplification in a field effect-based electrochemical immunosensor utilizing chip-based ELISA is presented in this work. First, the molarities of phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and concentrations of KCl as ionic strength adjuster were optimized to maximize the GOx glucose-based enzymatic reactions in a beaker for signal amplification measured by change in the voltage shift with an EIS device (using 20 μl of solution) and validated with a commercial pH meter (using 3 ml of solution). The PBS molarity of 100 μM with 25 mM KCl provided the maximum voltage shift. These optimized buffer conditions were further verified for GOx immobilized on silicon chips, and similar trends with decreased PBS molarity were obtained; however, the voltage shift values obtained on chip reaction were lower as compared to the reactions occurring in the beaker. The decreased voltage shift with immobilized enzyme on chip could be attributed to the increased Km (Michaelis-Menten constant) values in the immobilized GOx. Finally, a more than sixfold signal enhancement (from 8 to 47 mV) for the chip-based sandwich immunoassay was obtained by altering the PBS molarity from 10 to 100 μM with 25 mM KCl.

Structural DNA Nanotechnology: Artificial Nanostructures for Biomedical Research.

PubMed

Ke, Yonggang; Castro, Carlos; Choi, Jong Hyun

2018-06-04

Structural DNA nanotechnology utilizes synthetic or biologic DNA as designer molecules for the self-assembly of artificial nanostructures. The field is founded upon the specific interactions between DNA molecules, known as Watson-Crick base pairing. After decades of active pursuit, DNA has demonstrated unprecedented versatility in constructing artificial nanostructures with significant complexity and programmability. The nanostructures could be either static, with well-controlled physicochemical properties, or dynamic, with the ability to reconfigure upon external stimuli. Researchers have devoted considerable effort to exploring the usability of DNA nanostructures in biomedical research. We review the basic design methods for fabricating both static and dynamic DNA nanostructures, along with their biomedical applications in fields such as biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery.

Experimental evaluation of two 36 inch by 47 inch graphite/epoxy sandwich shear webs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bush, H. G.

1975-01-01

The design is described and test of two large (36 in. x 47 in.) graphite/epoxy sandwich shear webs. One sandwich web was designed to exhibit strength failure of the facings at a shear load of 7638 lbs/in., which is a characteristic loading for the space shuttle orbiter main engine thrust beam structure. The second sandwich web was designed to exhibit general instability failure at a shear load of 5000 lbs/in., to identify problem areas of stability critical sandwich webs and to assess the adequacy of contemporary analysis techniques.

Nanostructure-based proton exchange membrane for fuel cell applications at high temperature.

PubMed

Li, Junsheng; Wang, Zhengbang; Li, Junrui; Pan, Mu; Tang, Haolin

2014-02-01

As a clean and highly efficient energy source, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has been considered an ideal alternative to traditional fossil energy sources. Great efforts have been devoted to realizing the commercialization of the PEMFC in the past decade. To eliminate some technical problems that are associated with the low-temperature operation (such as catalyst poisoning and poor water management), PEMFCs are usually operated at elevated temperatures (e.g., > 100 degrees C). However, traditional proton exchange membrane (PEM) shows poor performance at elevated temperature. To achieve a high-performance PEM for high temperature fuel cell applications, novel PEMs, which are based on nanostructures, have been developed recently. In this review, we discuss and summarize the methods for fabricating the nanostructure-based PEMs for PEMFC operated at elevated temperatures and the high temperature performance of these PEMs. We also give an outlook on the rational design and development of the nanostructure-based PEMs.

Calorie count - fast food

MedlinePlus

... sandwich 330 Sausage & Cheese Biscuit Sandwich 1 sandwich 510 BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter 1 platter 1190 McDonalds ... Grits 1 order 370 Egg Biscuit 1 biscuit 510 Egg and Sausage Biscuit 1 biscuit 690 Burgers, ...

Experimental Study of the Bending Properties and Deformation Analysis of Web-Reinforced Composite Sandwich Floor Slabs with Four Simply Supported Edges.

PubMed

Qi, Yujun; Fang, Hai; Liu, Weiqing

2016-01-01

Web-reinforced composite sandwich panels exhibit good mechanical properties in one-way bending, but few studies have investigated their flexural behavior and deformation calculation methods under conditions of four simply supported edges. This paper studies the bending performance of and deformation calculation methods for two-way web-reinforced composite sandwich panels with different web spacing and heights. Polyurethane foam, two-way orthogonal glass-fiber woven cloth and unsaturated resin were used as raw materials in this study. Vacuum infusion molding was used to prepare an ordinary composite sandwich panel and 5 web-reinforced composite sandwich panels with different spacing and web heights. The panels were subjected to two-way panel bending tests with simple support for all four edges. The mechanical properties of these sandwich panels during the elastic stage were determined by applying uniformly distributed loads. The non-linear mechanical characteristics and failure modes were obtained under centrally concentrated loading. Finally, simulations of the sandwich panels, which used the mechanical model established herein, were used to deduce the formulae for the deflection deformation for this type of sandwich panel. The experimental results show that webs can significantly improve the limit bearing capacity and flexural rigidity of sandwich panels, with smaller web spacing producing a stronger effect. When the web spacing is 75 mm, the limit bearing capacity is 4.63 times that of an ordinary sandwich panel. The deduced deflection calculation formulae provide values that agree well with the measurements (maximum error <15%). The results that are obtained herein can provide a foundation for the structural design of this type of panel.

Experimental Study of the Bending Properties and Deformation Analysis of Web-Reinforced Composite Sandwich Floor Slabs with Four Simply Supported Edges

PubMed Central

Qi, Yujun; Fang, Hai; Liu, Weiqing

2016-01-01

Web-reinforced composite sandwich panels exhibit good mechanical properties in one-way bending, but few studies have investigated their flexural behavior and deformation calculation methods under conditions of four simply supported edges. This paper studies the bending performance of and deformation calculation methods for two-way web-reinforced composite sandwich panels with different web spacing and heights. Polyurethane foam, two-way orthogonal glass-fiber woven cloth and unsaturated resin were used as raw materials in this study. Vacuum infusion molding was used to prepare an ordinary composite sandwich panel and 5 web-reinforced composite sandwich panels with different spacing and web heights. The panels were subjected to two-way panel bending tests with simple support for all four edges. The mechanical properties of these sandwich panels during the elastic stage were determined by applying uniformly distributed loads. The non-linear mechanical characteristics and failure modes were obtained under centrally concentrated loading. Finally, simulations of the sandwich panels, which used the mechanical model established herein, were used to deduce the formulae for the deflection deformation for this type of sandwich panel. The experimental results show that webs can significantly improve the limit bearing capacity and flexural rigidity of sandwich panels, with smaller web spacing producing a stronger effect. When the web spacing is 75 mm, the limit bearing capacity is 4.63 times that of an ordinary sandwich panel. The deduced deflection calculation formulae provide values that agree well with the measurements (maximum error <15%). The results that are obtained herein can provide a foundation for the structural design of this type of panel. PMID:26871435

Biosensor Based on Self-Assembling Acetylcholinesterase on Carbon Nanotubes for Flow injection/Amperometric Detection of Organophosphate Pesticides and Nerve Agents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Guodong; Lin, Yuehe

A highly sensitive flow-injection amperometric biosensor for organophosphate pesticides and nerve agents based on self-assembly of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on carbon nanotube (CNT)-modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode is described. AChE is immobilized on the negatively-charged CNT surface by alternatively assembling a cationic polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) layer and an AChE layer. Transmission electron microscopy images confirm the formation of layer-by-layer nanostructures on carboxyl functionalized CNTs. The unique sandwich-like structure (PDDA/AChE/PDDA) on the CNT surface formed by self-assembly provides a favorable microenvironment to keep the bioactivity of AChE and to prevent enzyme molecule leakage. The electrocatalytic activity of CNT leads to a greatlymore » improved electrochemical detection of the enzymatically generated thiocholine product, including a low oxidation overvoltage (+150 mV), higher sensitivity, and stability. The developed PDDA/AChE/PDDA/CNT/GC biosensor integrated into a flow injection system was used to monitor organophosphate pesticides and nerve agents, such as paraoxon. The sensor performance, including inhibition time and regeneration conditions, was optimized with respect to operating conditions. Under the optimal conditions, the biosensor was used to measure as low as 0.4 pM paraoxon with a 6-min inhibition time. The biosensor had excellent operational lifetime stability with no decrease in the activity of enzymes for more than 20 repeated measurements over a 1-week period. The developed biosensor system is an ideal tool for online monitoring of organophosphate pesticides and nerve agents.« less

Highly Sensitive and Automated Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering-based Immunoassay for H5N1 Detection with Digital Microfluidics.

PubMed

Wang, Yang; Ruan, Qingyu; Lei, Zhi-Chao; Lin, Shui-Chao; Zhu, Zhi; Zhou, Leiji; Yang, Chaoyong

2018-04-17

Digital microfluidics (DMF) is a powerful platform for a broad range of applications, especially immunoassays having multiple steps, due to the advantages of low reagent consumption and high automatization. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been proven as an attractive method for highly sensitive and multiplex detection, because of its remarkable signal amplification and excellent spatial resolution. Here we propose a SERS-based immunoassay with DMF for rapid, automated, and sensitive detection of disease biomarkers. SERS tags labeled with Raman reporter 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) were synthesized with a core@shell nanostructure and showed strong signals, good uniformity, and high stability. A sandwich immunoassay was designed, in which magnetic beads coated with antibodies were used as solid support to capture antigens from samples to form a beads-antibody-antigen immunocomplex. By labeling the immunocomplex with a detection antibody-functionalized SERS tag, antigen can be sensitively detected through the strong SERS signal. The automation capability of DMF can greatly simplify the assay procedure while reducing the risk of exposure to hazardous samples. Quantitative detection of avian influenza virus H5N1 in buffer and human serum was implemented to demonstrate the utility of the DMF-SERS method. The DMF-SERS method shows excellent sensitivity (LOD of 74 pg/mL) and selectivity for H5N1 detection with less assay time (<1 h) and lower reagent consumption (∼30 μL) compared to the standard ELISA method. Therefore, this DMF-SERS method holds great potentials for automated and sensitive detection of a variety of infectious diseases.

The performance of hematite nanostructures in different humidity levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, W. R. W.; Mamat, M. H.; Zoolfakar, A. S.; Khusaimi, Z.; Yusof, M. M.; Ismail, A. S.; Saidi, S. A.; Rusop, M.

2018-05-01

In this study, hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanostructure were prepared in Schott vials on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate using the sonicated immersion method in aqueous solution with ferric chloride FeCl3ṡ6H2O as a precursor and urea NH2-CONH2 as a stabilizer. The samples were characterized for different level of humidity conditions within range 40% to 90% RH. Based on the results obtained, the hematite nanostructure exhibited good optical properties and virtuous sensor response with high sensitivity. The fabricated hematite nanostructure has revealed a good potential for humidity sensor application based on the results obtained under different levels of humidity.

Developing NanoFoil-Heated Thin-Film Thermal Battery

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

buffer discs (in gray) sandwiching the NanoFoil disc (in yellow). Two Microtherm discs (in dark gray) bracketed the sandwich to prevent excessive heat...of the fuse strip with a Microtherm disc. Cathode Electrolyte Anode Microtherm Heat paper NanoFoil Buffer Agilent 34970A 606.5 Nichrome wire Maccor...gray) sandwiching the NanoFoil disc (in yellow). Two Microtherm discs (in dark gray) bracketed the sandwich to prevent excessive heat loss

Sound transmission analysis of partially treated MR fluid-based sandwich panels using finite element method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemmatian, M.; Sedaghati, R.

2017-04-01

This study aims at developing a finite element model to predict the sound transmission loss (STL) of a multilayer panel partially treated with a Magnetorheological (MR) fluid core layer. MR fluids are smart materials with promising controllable rheological characteristics in which the application of an external magnetic field instantly changes their rheological properties. Partial treatment of sandwich panels with MR fluid core layer provides an opportunity to change stiffness and damping of the structure without significantly increasing the mass. The STL of a finite sandwich panel partially treated with MR fluid is modeled using the finite element (FE) method. Circular sandwich panels with clamped boundary condition and elastic face sheets in which the core layer is segmented circumferentially is considered. The MR fluid core layer is considered as a viscoelastic material with complex shear modulus with the magnetic field and frequency dependent storage and loss moduli. Neglecting the effect of the panel's vibration on the pressure forcing function, the work done by the acoustic pressure is expressed as a function of the blocked pressure in order to calculate the force vector in the equation of the motion of the panel. The governing finite element equation of motion of the MR sandwich panel is then developed to predict the transverse vibration of the panel which can then be utilized to obtain the radiated sound using Green's function. The developed model is used to conduct a systematic parametric study on the effect of different locations of MR fluid treatment on the natural frequencies and the STL.

Ultrasensitive electrochemical cocaine biosensor based on reversible DNA nanostructure.

PubMed

Sheng, Qinglin; Liu, Ruixiao; Zhang, Sai; Zheng, Jianbin

2014-01-15

We proposed an ultrasensitive electrochemical cocaine biosensor based on the three-dimensional (3D) DNA structure conversion of nanostructure from Triangular Pyramid Frustum (TPFDNA) to Equilateral Triangle (ETDNA). The presence of cocaine triggered the aptamer-composed DNA nanostructure change from "Close" to "Open", leading to obvious faradaic impedance changes. The unique properties with excellent stability and specific rigid structure of the 3D DNA nanostructure made the biosensing functions stable, sensitive, and regenerable. The Faradaic impedance responses were linearly related to cocaine concentration between 1.0 nM and 2.0 μM with a correlation coefficient of 0.993. The limit of detection was calculated to be 0.21 nM following IUPAC recommendations (3Sb/b). It is expected that the distinctive features of DNA nanostructure would make it potentially advantageous for a broad range of biosensing, bionanoelectronics, and therapeutic applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication routes for one-dimensional nanostructures via block copolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tharmavaram, Maithri; Rawtani, Deepak; Pandey, Gaurav

2017-05-01

Nanotechnology is the field which deals with fabrication of materials with dimensions in the nanometer range by manipulating atoms and molecules. Various synthesis routes exist for the one, two and three dimensional nanostructures. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have enabled the usage of block copolymers for the synthesis of such nanostructures. Block copolymers are versatile polymers with unique properties and come in many types and shapes. Their properties are highly dependent on the blocks of the copolymers, thus allowing easy tunability of its properties. This review briefly focusses on the use of block copolymers for synthesizing one-dimensional nanostructures especially nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons and nanofibers. Template based, lithographic, and solution based approaches are common approaches in the synthesis of nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons, and nanofibers. Synthesis of metal, metal oxides, metal oxalates, polymer, and graphene one dimensional nanostructures using block copolymers have been discussed as well.

Investigations on diamond nanostructuring of different morphologies by the reactive-ion etching process and their potential applications.

PubMed

Kunuku, Srinivasu; Sankaran, Kamatchi Jothiramalingam; Tsai, Cheng-Yen; Chang, Wen-Hao; Tai, Nyan-Hwa; Leou, Keh-Chyang; Lin, I-Nan

2013-08-14

We report the systematic studies on the fabrication of aligned, uniform, and highly dense diamond nanostructures from diamond films of various granular structures. Self-assembled Au nanodots are used as a mask in the self-biased reactive-ion etching (RIE) process, using an O2/CF4 process plasma. The morphology of diamond nanostructures is a close function of the initial phase composition of diamond. Cone-shaped and tip-shaped diamond nanostructures result for microcrystalline diamond (MCD) and nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films, whereas pillarlike and grasslike diamond nanostructures are obtained for Ar-plasma-based and N2-plasma-based ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films, respectively. While the nitrogen-incorporated UNCD (N-UNCD) nanograss shows the most-superior electron-field-emission properties, the NCD nanotips exhibit the best photoluminescence properties, viz, different applications need different morphology of diamond nanostructures to optimize the respective characteristics. The optimum diamond nanostructure can be achieved by proper choice of granular structure of the initial diamond film. The etching mechanism is explained by in situ observation of optical emission spectrum of RIE plasma. The preferential etching of sp(2)-bonded carbon contained in the diamond films is the prime factor, which forms the unique diamond nanostructures from each type of diamond films. However, the excited oxygen atoms (O*) are the main etching species of diamond film.

Optimization of composite sandwich cover panels subjected to compressive loadings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruz, Juan R.

1991-01-01

An analysis and design method is presented for the design of composite sandwich cover panels that include the transverse shear effects and damage tolerance considerations. This method is incorporated into a sandwich optimization computer program entitled SANDOP. As a demonstration of its capabilities, SANDOP is used in the present study to design optimized composite sandwich cover panels for for transport aircraft wing applications. The results of this design study indicate that optimized composite sandwich cover panels have approximately the same structural efficiency as stiffened composite cover panels designed to satisfy individual constraints. The results also indicate that inplane stiffness requirements have a large effect on the weight of these composite sandwich cover panels at higher load levels. Increasing the maximum allowable strain and the upper percentage limit of the 0 degree and +/- 45 degree plies can yield significant weight savings. The results show that the structural efficiency of these optimized composite sandwich cover panels is relatively insensitive to changes in core density. Thus, core density should be chosen by criteria other than minimum weight (e.g., damage tolerance, ease of manufacture, etc.).

Inorganic Nanomaterials as Carriers for Drug Delivery.

PubMed

Chen, Shizhu; Hao, Xiaohong; Liang, Xingjie; Zhang, Qun; Zhang, Cuimiao; Zhou, Guoqiang; Shen, Shigang; Jia, Guang; Zhang, Jinchao

2016-01-01

For safe and effective therapy, drugs must be delivered efficiently and with minimal systemic side effects. Nanostructured drug carriers enable the delivery of small-molecule drugs as well as nucleic acids and proteins. Inorganic nanomaterials are ideal for drug delivery platforms due to their unique physicochemical properties, such as facile preparation, good storage stability and biocompatibility. Many inorganic nanostructure-based drug delivery platforms have been prepared. Although there are still many obstacles to overcome, significant advances have been made in recent years. This review focuses on the status and development of inorganic nanostructures, including silica, quantum dots, gold, carbon-based and magnetic iron oxide-based nanostructures, as carriers for chemical and biological drugs. We specifically highlight the extensive use of these inorganic drug carriers for cancer therapy. Finally, we discuss the most important areas in the field that urgently require further study.

Contributions of Phenoxazone-Based Pigments to the Structure and Function of Nanostructured Granules in Squid Chromatophores.

PubMed

Williams, Thomas L; DiBona, Christopher W; Dinneen, Sean R; Labadie, Stephanie F Jones; Chu, Feixia; Deravi, Leila F

2016-04-19

Understanding the structure-function relationships of pigment-based nanostructures can provide insight into the molecular mechanisms behind biological signaling, camouflage, or communication experienced in many species. In squid Doryteuthis pealeii, combinations of phenoxazone-based pigments are identified as the source of visible color within the nanostructured granules that populate dermal chromatophore organs. In the absence of the pigments, granules experience a reduction in diameter with the loss of visible color, suggesting important structural and functional features. Energy gaps are estimated from electronic absorption spectra, revealing highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies that are dependent upon the varying carboxylated states of the pigment. These results implicate a hierarchical mechanism for the bulk coloration in cephalopods originating from the molecular components confined within in the nanostructured granules of chromatophore organs.

Layer-by-layer deposition of nanostructured CsPbBr3 perovskite thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reshetnikova, A. A.; Matyushkin, L. B.; Andronov, A. A.; Sokolov, V. S.; Aleksandrova, O. A.; Moshnikov, V. A.

2017-11-01

Layer-by-layer deposition of nanostructured perovskites cesium lead halide thin films is described. The method of deposition is based on alternate immersion of the substrate in the precursor solutions or colloidal solution of nanocrystals and methyl acetate/lead nitrate solution using the device for deposition of films by SILAR and dip-coating techniques. An example of obtaining a photosensitive structure based on nanostructures of ZnO nanowires and layers of CsBbBr3 nanocrystals is also shown.

Norwegian sandwiches: On the prevalence and consequences of family and work role squeezes over the life course.

PubMed

Daatland, Svein Olav; Veenstra, Marijke; Lima, Ivar A

2010-12-01

Population ageing changes profoundly the current balance between generations. Governments are responding with policies to promote later retirement and family care, but these ideals may come in conflict in mid-life when family obligations can be hard to reconcile with employment. Yet we know little about the prevalence of being "sandwiched", and even less about the consequences. This article maps out the prevalence of different forms of family and work sandwiching for the Norwegian population, and explores adaptive strategies and psycho-social outcomes. The analyses are based on data from the NorLAG and LOGG studies ( n  = 15 109, age 18-84). Preliminary findings indicate that 75-80% of the population are located in-between younger and older family generations in mid-life, the great majority are at the same time in paid work, but comparatively few (8-9% aged 35-45) have both children and parents in need at the same time, and fewer still (3%) are then also caregivers to older parents. Although few in proportion of their age group, they add up to a considerable number of persons. Women are more likely to reduce work in response to family needs than men. Implications of family and work sandwiching for health and well-being are analysed.

A novel electrochemical aptamer-antibody sandwich assay for lysozyme detection.

PubMed

Ocaña, Cristina; Hayat, Akhtar; Mishra, Rupesh; Vasilescu, Alina; del Valle, Manel; Marty, Jean-Louis

2015-06-21

In this paper, we have reported a novel electrochemical aptamer-antibody based sandwich biosensor for the detection of lysozyme. In the sensing strategy, an anti-lysozyme aptamer was immobilized onto the carbon electrode surface by covalent binding via diazonium salt chemistry. After incubating with a target protein (lysozyme), a biotinylated antibody was used to complete the sandwich format. The subsequent additions of avidin-alkaline phosphatase as an enzyme label, and a 1-naphthyl phosphate substrate (1-NPP) allowed us to determine the concentration of lysozyme (Lys) via Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) of the generated enzyme reaction product, 1-naphthol. Using this strategy, a wide detection range from 5 fM to 5 nM was obtained for a target lysozyme, with a detection limit of 4.3 fM. The control experiments were carried out by using bovine serum albumin (BSA), cytochrome c and casein. The results showed that the proposed biosensor had good specificity, stability and reproducibility for lysozyme analysis. In addition, the biosensor was applied for detecting lysozyme in spiked wine samples, and very good recovery rates were obtained in the range from 95.2 to 102.0% for lysozyme detection. This implies that the proposed sandwich biosensor is a promising analytical tool for the analysis of lysozyme in real samples.

A dynamic sandwich assay on magnetic beads for selective detection of single-nucleotide mutations at room temperature.

PubMed

Wang, Junxiu; Xiong, Guoliang; Ma, Liang; Wang, Shihui; Zhou, Xu; Wang, Lei; Xiao, Lehui; Su, Xin; Yu, Changyuan

2017-08-15

Single-nucleotide mutation (SNM) has proven to be associated with a variety of human diseases. Development of reliable methods for the detection of SNM is crucial for molecular diagnosis and personalized medicine. The sandwich assays are widely used tools for detecting nucleic acid biomarkers due to their low cost and rapid signaling. However, the poor hybridization specificity of signal probe at room temperature hampers the discrimination of mutant and wild type. Here, we demonstrate a dynamic sandwich assay on magnetic beads for SNM detection based on the transient binding between signal probe and target. By taking the advantage of mismatch sensitive thermodynamics of transient DNA binding, the dynamic sandwich assay exhibits high discrimination factor for mutant with a broad range of salt concentration at room temperature. The beads used in this assay serve as a tool for separation, and might be helpful to enhance SNM selectivity. Flexible design of signal probe and facile magnetic separation allow multiple-mode downstream analysis including colorimetric detection and isothermal amplification. With this method, BRAF mutations in the genomic DNA extracted from cancer cell lines were tested, allowing sensitive detection of SNM at very low abundances (0.1-0.5% mutant/wild type). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Antibacterial Carbon Nanotubes by Impregnation with Copper Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palza, Humberto; Saldias, Natalia; Arriagada, Paulo; Palma, Patricia; Sanchez, Jorge

2017-08-01

The addition of metal-based nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes (CNT) is a relevant method producing multifunctional materials. In this context, CNT were dispersed in an ethanol/water solution containing copper acetate for their impregnation with different copper nanostructures by either a non-thermal or a thermal post-synthesis treatment. Our simple method is based on pure CNT in an air atmosphere without any other reagents. Particles without thermal treatment were present as a well-dispersed layered copper hydroxide acetate nanostructures on CNT, as confirmed by scanning and transmission (TEM) electron microscopies, and showing a characteristic x-ray diffraction peak at 6.6°. On the other hand, by thermal post-synthesis treatment at 300°C, these layered nanostructures became Cu2O nanoparticles of around 20 nm supported on CNT, as confirmed by TEM images and x-ray diffraction peaks. These copper nanostructures present on the CNT surface rendered antibacterial behavior to the resulting hybrid materials against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These findings present for the first time a simple method for producing antibacterial CNT by direct impregnation of copper nanostructures.

Melanin-templated rapid synthesis of silver nanostructures

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background As a potent antimicrobial agent, silver nanostructures have been used in nanosensors and nanomaterial-based assays for the detection of food relevant analytes such as organic molecules, aroma, chemical contaminants, gases and food borne pathogens. In addition silver based nanocomposites act as an antimicrobial for food packaging materials. In this prospective, the food grade melanin pigment extracted from sponge associated actinobacterium Nocardiopsis alba MSA10 and melanin mediated synthesis of silver nanostructures were studied. Based on the present findings, antimicrobial nanostructures can be developed against food pathogens for food industrial applications. Results Briefly, the sponge associated actinobacterium N. alba MSA10 was screened and fermentation conditions were optimized for the production of melanin pigment. The Plackett-Burman design followed by a Box-Behnken design was developed to optimize the concentration of most significant factors for improved melanin yield. The antioxidant potential, reductive capabilities and physiochemical properties of Nocardiopsis melanin was characterized. The optimum production of melanin was attained with pH 7.5, temperature 35°C, salinity 2.5%, sucrose 25 g/L and tyrosine 12.5 g/L under submerged fermentation conditions. A highest melanin production of 3.4 mg/ml was reached with the optimization using Box-Behnken design. The purified melanin showed rapid reduction and stabilization of silver nanostructures. The melanin mediated process produced uniform and stable silver nanostructures with broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against food pathogens. Conclusions The melanin pigment produced by N. alba MSA10 can be used for environmentally benign synthesis of silver nanostructures and can be useful for food packaging materials. The characteristics of broad spectrum of activity against food pathogens of silver nanostructures gives an insight for their potential applicability in incorporation of food packaging materials and antimicrobials for stored fruits and foods. PMID:24885756

Composite Sandwich Structures for Shock Mitigation and Energy Absorption

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-28

analysis of the blast performance of foam -core, composite sandwich panels was that on a per unit areal weight density basis, lighter and more crushable... foam cores offered greater blast resistance and energy absorption than the heavier and stronger foam cores. This was found to be the case even on an...absolute weight basis for cuNed sandwich panels and panels subjected to underwater blast. 15. SUBJECT TERMS composite; foam -core sandwich; blast

Natural cork agglomerate employed as an environmentally friendly solution for quiet sandwich composites.

PubMed

Sargianis, James; Kim, Hyung-ick; Suhr, Jonghwan

2012-01-01

Carbon fiber-synthetic foam core sandwich composites are widely used for many structural applications due to their superior mechanical performance and low weight. Unfortunately these structures typically have very poor acoustic performance. There is increasingly growing demand in mitigating this noise issue in sandwich composite structures. This study shows that marrying carbon fiber composites with natural cork in a sandwich structure provides a synergistic effect yielding a noise-free sandwich composite structure without the sacrifice of mechanical performance or weight. Moreover the cork-core sandwich composites boast a 250% improvement in damping performance, providing increased durability and lifetime operation. Additionally as the world seeks environmentally friendly materials, the harvesting of cork is a natural, renewable process which reduces subsequent carbon footprints. Such a transition from synthetic foam cores to natural cork cores could provide unprecedented improvements in acoustic and vibrational performance in applications such as aircraft cabins or wind turbine blades.

Behavior of composite sandwich panels with several core designs at different impact velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiga, Gabriel; Stamin, Ştefan; Dinu, Gabriela

2018-02-01

A sandwich composite represents a special class of composite materials that is manufactured by bonding two thin but stiff faces to a low density and low strength but thick core. The distance between the skins given by the core increases the flexural modulus of the panel with a low mass increase, producing an efficient structure able to resist at flexural and buckling loads. The strength of sandwich panels depends on the size of the panel, skins material and number or density of the cells within it. Sandwich composites are used widely in several industries, such as aerospace, automotive, medical and leisure industries. The behavior of composite sandwich panels with different core designs under different impact velocities are analyzed in this paper by numerical simulations performed on sandwich panels. The modeling was done in ANSYS and the analysis was performed through LS-DYNA.

Evaluation of monoclonal antibody-based sandwich direct ELISA (MSD-ELISA) for antigen detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus using clinical samples.

PubMed

Morioka, Kazuki; Fukai, Katsuhiko; Sakamoto, Kenichi; Yoshida, Kazuo; Kanno, Toru

2014-01-01

A monoclonal antibody-based sandwich direct ELISA (MSD-ELISA) method was previously developed for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) viral antigen detection. Here we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of two FMD viral antigen detection MSD-ELISAs and compared them with conventional indirect sandwich (IS)-ELISA. The MSD-ELISAs were able to detect the antigen in saliva samples of experimentally-infected pigs for a longer term compared to the IS-ELISA. We also used 178 RT-PCR-positive field samples from cattle and pigs affected by the 2010 type-O FMD outbreak in Japan, and we found that the sensitivities of both MSD-ELISAs were about 7 times higher than that of the IS-ELISA against each sample (P<0.01). In terms of the FMD-positive farm detection rate, the sensitivities of the MSD-ELISAs were about 6 times higher than that of the IS-ELISA against each farm (P<0.01). Although it is necessary to conduct further validation study using the other virus strains, MSD-ELISAs could be appropriate as a method to replace IS-ELISA for FMD antigen detection.

On the balancing of structural and acoustic performance of a sandwich panel based on topology, property, and size optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cameron, Christopher J.; Lind Nordgren, Eleonora; Wennhage, Per; Göransson, Peter

2014-06-01

Balancing structural and acoustic performance of a multi-layered sandwich panel is a formidable undertaking. Frequently the gains achieved in terms of reduced weight, still meeting the structural design requirements, are lost by the changes necessary to regain acceptable acoustic performance. To alleviate this, a design method for a multifunctional load bearing vehicle body panel is proposed which attempts to achieve a balance between structural and acoustic performance. The approach is based on numerical modelling of the structural and acoustic behaviour in a combined topology, size, and property optimization in order to achieve a three dimensional optimal distribution of structural and acoustic foam materials within the bounding surfaces of a sandwich panel. In particular the effects of the coupling between one of the bounding surface face sheets and acoustic foam are examined for its impact on both the structural and acoustic overall performance of the panel. The results suggest a potential in introducing an air gap between the acoustic foam parts and one of the face sheets, provided that the structural design constraints are met without prejudicing the layout of the different foam types.

A general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures using plasma electrolytic oxidation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yanan; Liu, Baodan; Zhai, Zhaofeng; Liu, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Bing; Liu, Lusheng; Jiang, Xin

2015-11-01

A new method based on conventional plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology has been developed for the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures. Using this method, ZnWO4 and NiWO4 nanostructures with controllable morphologies (nanorods, nanosheets and microsheets) and superior crystallinity have been synthesized. It has been found that the morphology diversity of ZnWO4 nanostructures can be selectively tailored through tuning the electrolyte concentration and annealing temperatures, showing obvious advantages in comparison to traditional hydrothermal and sol-gel methods. Precise microscopy analyses on the cross section of the PEO coating and ZnWO4 nanostructures confirmed that the precursors initially precipitated in the PEO coating and its surface during plasma discharge process are responsible for the nucleation and subsequent growth of metal tungstate nanostructures by thermal annealing. The method developed in this work represents a general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures and the formation mechanism of metal tungstate nanostructures fabricated by the PEO method is finally discussed.

Ion Trap Array-Based Systems And Methods For Chemical Analysis

DOEpatents

Whitten, William B [Oak Ridge, TN; Ramsey, J Michael [Knoxville, TN

2005-08-23

An ion trap-based system for chemical analysis includes an ion trap array. The ion trap array includes a plurality of ion traps arranged in a 2-dimensional array for initially confining ions. Each of the ion traps comprise a central electrode having an aperture, a first and second insulator each having an aperture sandwiching the central electrode, and first and second end cap electrodes each having an aperture sandwiching the first and second insulator. A structure for simultaneously directing a plurality of different species of ions out from the ion traps is provided. A spectrometer including a detector receives and identifies the ions. The trap array can be used with spectrometers including time-of-flight mass spectrometers and ion mobility spectrometers.

Enantiopure Ferrocene-Based Planar-Chiral Iridacycles: Stereospecific Control of Iridium-Centred Chirality.

PubMed

Arthurs, Ross A; Ismail, Muhammad; Prior, Christopher C; Oganesyan, Vasily S; Horton, Peter N; Coles, Simon J; Richards, Christopher J

2016-02-24

Reaction of [IrCp*Cl2 ]2 with ferrocenylimines (Fc=NAr, Ar=Ph, p-MeOC6 H4 ) results in ferrocene C-H activation and the diastereoselective synthesis of half-sandwich iridacycles of relative configuration Sp *,RIr *. Extension to (S)-2-ferrocenyl-4-(1-methylethyl)oxazoline gave highly diastereoselective control over the new elements of planar chirality and metal-based pseudo-tetrahedral chirality, to give both neutral and cationic half-sandwich iridacycles of absolute configuration Sc ,Sp ,RIr . Substitution reactions proceed with retention of configuration, with the planar chirality controlling the metal-centred chirality through an iron-iridium interaction in the coordinatively unsaturated cationic intermediate. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Superporous agarose--reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes for electrochemical sandwich bioassays.

PubMed

Rao, Ashwin K; Creager, Stephen E

2008-11-03

We report on the use of flow-through electrodes fabricated from a composite of superporous agarose (SPA) and reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) for carrying out sandwich bioassays via a model sandwich assay scheme. The flow-through design of the SPA-RVC electrodes allows for ease in solution handling with the use of micropipettors while allowing sandwich assays to be performed on the SPA matrix inside the RVC. A sandwich bioassay was devised for detecting biotinylated bovine serum albumin (b-BSA) as a proof-of-concept scheme to demonstrate applicability of SPA-RVC electrodes to carry out sandwich assays. In this bioassay scheme, SPA-RVC electrodes with avidin molecules immobilized on the SPA matrix were incubated with low quantities of b-BSA followed by incubation with avidinylated alkaline phosphatase (av-ALP). This construct creates a sandwich bioassay whereby b-BSA is sandwiched between the two avidin complexes. Av-ALP labels captured on the bound b-BSA catalytically hydrolyze conversion of 4-aminophenylphosphate (PAPP) to electrochemically active 4-aminophenol (PAP) which is then voltammetrically detected inside the RVC. The lower concentration detection limit for b-BSA was 0.32+/-0.1 ng mL(-1) and the absolute detection limit was 32+/-10 pg. Non-specific binding of av-ALP enzyme labels onto the avidin-activated SPA-RVC electrodes was low. Catalytic generation of PAP by non-specifically bound av-ALP occurs at a rate less than 2% of that for PAP generation by av-ALP in [(SPA-av)-(b-BSA-b)-(av-ALP)] sandwich constructs.

Tuning the Fabrication of Nanostructures by Low-Energy Highly Charged Ions.

PubMed

El-Said, Ayman S; Wilhelm, Richard A; Heller, Rene; Sorokin, Michael; Facsko, Stefan; Aumayr, Friedrich

2016-09-16

Slow highly charged ions have been utilized recently for the creation of monotype surface nanostructures (craters, calderas, or hillocks) in different materials. In the present study, we report on the ability of slow highly charged xenon ions (^{129}Xe^{Q+}) to form three different types of nanostructures on the LiF(100) surface. By increasing the charge state from Q=15 to Q=36, the shape of the impact induced nanostructures changes from craters to hillocks crossing an intermediate stage of caldera structures. A dimensional analysis of the nanostructures reveals an increase of the height up to 1.5 nm as a function of the potential energy of the incident ions. Based on the evolution of both the geometry and size of the created nanostructures, defect-mediated desorption and the development of a thermal spike are utilized as creation mechanisms of the nanostructures at low and high charge states, respectively.

Hierarchical Co(OH)2 nanostructures/glassy carbon electrode derived from Co(BTC) metal-organic frameworks for glucose sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Juan; Lu, Xingping; Yu, Jie; Wang, Li; Song, Yonghai

2016-07-01

A novel Co(OH)2/glassy carbon electrode (GCE) has been fabricated via metal-organic framework (MOF)-directed method. In the strategy, the Co(BTC, 1,3,5-benzentricarboxylic acid) MOFs/GCE was firstly prepared by alternately immersing GCE in Co2+ and BTC solution based on a layer-by-layer method. And then, the Co(OH)2 with hierarchical flake nanostructure/GCE was constructed by immersing Co(BTC) MOFs/GCE into 0.1 M NaOH solution at room temperature. Such strategy improves the distribution of hierarchical Co(OH)2 nanostructures on electrode surface greatly, enhances the stability of nanomaterials on the electrode surface, and increases the use efficiency of the Co(OH)2 nanostructures. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectra were used to characterize the Co(BTC) MOFs/GCE and Co(OH)2/GCE. Based on the hierarchical Co(OH)2 nanostructures/GCE, a novel and sensitive nonenzymatic glucose sensor was developed. The good performance of the resulted sensor toward the detection of glucose was ascribed to hierarchical flake nanostructures, good mechanical stability, excellent distribution, and large specific surface area of Co(OH)2 nanostructures. The proposed preparation method is simple, efficient, and cheap .

Combined-load buckling behavior of metal-matrix composite sandwich panels under different thermal environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Jackson, Raymond H.

1991-01-01

Combined compressive and shear buckling analysis was conducted on flat rectangular sandwich panels with the consideration of transverse shear effects of the core. The sandwich panel is fabricated with titanium honeycomb core and laminated metal matrix composite face sheets. The results show that the square panel has the highest combined load buckling strength, and that the buckling strength decreases sharply with the increases of both temperature and panel aspect ratio. The effect of layup (fiber orientation) on the buckling strength of the panels was studied in detail. The metal matrix composite sandwich panel was much more efficient than the sandwich panel with nonreinforced face sheets and had the same specific weight.

An investigation of the mimetic enzyme activity of two-dimensional Pd-based nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Jingping; Chen, Xiaolan; Shi, Saige; Mo, Shiguang; Zheng, Nanfeng

2015-11-01

In this work, we investigated the mimetic enzyme activity of two-dimensional (2D) Pd-based nanostructures (e.g. Pd nanosheets, Pd@Au and Pd@Pt nanoplates) and found that they possess intrinsic peroxidase-, oxidase- and catalase-like activities. These nanostructures were able to activate hydrogen peroxide or dissolved oxygen for catalyzing the oxidation of organic substrates, and decompose hydrogen peroxide to generate oxygen. More systematic investigations revealed that the peroxidase-like activities of these Pd-based nanomaterials were highly structure- and composition-dependent. Among them, Pd@Pt nanoplates displayed the highest peroxidase-like activity. Based on these findings, Pd-based nanostructures were applied for the colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose, and also the electro-catalytic reduction of H2O2. This work offers a promising prospect for the application of 2D noble metal nanostructures in biocatalysis.In this work, we investigated the mimetic enzyme activity of two-dimensional (2D) Pd-based nanostructures (e.g. Pd nanosheets, Pd@Au and Pd@Pt nanoplates) and found that they possess intrinsic peroxidase-, oxidase- and catalase-like activities. These nanostructures were able to activate hydrogen peroxide or dissolved oxygen for catalyzing the oxidation of organic substrates, and decompose hydrogen peroxide to generate oxygen. More systematic investigations revealed that the peroxidase-like activities of these Pd-based nanomaterials were highly structure- and composition-dependent. Among them, Pd@Pt nanoplates displayed the highest peroxidase-like activity. Based on these findings, Pd-based nanostructures were applied for the colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose, and also the electro-catalytic reduction of H2O2. This work offers a promising prospect for the application of 2D noble metal nanostructures in biocatalysis. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: TEM images, EDX and dispersion stability of Pd-based nanomaterials, mimic enzymatic activity and reaction mechanism for TMB oxidation with H2O2 catalyzed by Pd-based nanoplates, time-dependent absorbance changes at 652 nm with different H2O2 concentrations, comparison of peroxidase activities of Pd@Pt-a (Pt/Pd = 1.3) and Pd@Pt-e (Pt/Pd = 12) with their corresponding monometallic components, reaction between a hydroxyl radical (&z.rad;OH) and terephthalic acid (TA), comparison of the peroxidase- and oxidase-like activities of Pd@Pt before and after centrifugation, relative catalytic activity of the Pd@Pt nanoplates after incubation in a range of values of pH, temperatures or after storing in water for one week, UV-Vis absorption spectra of TMB under different conditions, steady-state kinetic assay of Pd and the catalytic mechanism of Pd@Pt, detailed calculation process for Km and Vmax, and experimental condition optimization of Pd@Pt peroxidase-like catalytic reaction. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr05675f

Silicon nanostructures for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

PubMed

Peng, Fei; Cao, Zhaohui; Ji, Xiaoyuan; Chu, Binbin; Su, Yuanyuan; He, Yao

2015-01-01

The emergence of nanotechnology suggests new and exciting opportunities for early diagnosis and therapy of cancer. During the recent years, silicon-based nanomaterials featuring unique properties have received great attention, showing high promise for myriad biological and biomedical applications. In this review, we will particularly summarize latest representative achievements on the development of silicon nanostructures as a powerful platform for cancer early diagnosis and therapy. First, we introduce the silicon nanomaterial-based biosensors for detecting cancer markers (e.g., proteins, tumor-suppressor genes and telomerase activity, among others) with high sensitivity and selectivity under molecular level. Then, we summarize in vitro and in vivo applications of silicon nanostructures as efficient nanoagents for cancer therapy. Finally, we discuss the future perspective of silicon nanostructures for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Thermally Sprayed High Temperature Sandwich Structures: Physical Properties and Mechanical Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salavati, Saeid

Metallic foam core sandwich structures have been of particular interest for engineering applications in recent decades due to their unique physical and mechanical properties. One of the potential applications of open pore metallic foam core sandwich structures is in heat exchangers. An investigation of sandwich structures fabricated from materials suitable for application at high temperatures and in corrosive environments was undertaken in this project. A novel method for fabrication of metallic foam core sandwich structures is thermal spray deposition of the faces on the prepared surfaces of the metallic foam substrate. The objective of the current study was to optimize the twin wire arc spray process parameters for the deposition of alloy 625 faces with controllable porosity content on the nickel foam substrate, and to characterize the physical and mechanical properties of the sandwich structure. The experimental investigations consisted of microstructural evaluation of the skin material and the foam substrate, investigation of the effect of alloying on the mechanical and thermal properties of the nickel foam, optimization of the grit-blasting and arc spray processes, observation of mechanical properties of the alloy 625 deposit by tensile testing and evaluation of the overall mechanical properties of the sandwich structure under flexural loading condition. The optimization of arc spraying process parameters allowed deposition of alloy 625 faces with a porosity of less than 4% for heat exchanger applications. Modification of the arc spraying process by co-deposition of polyester powder enabled 20% porosity to be obtained in the deposited faces for heat shield applications with film cooling. The effects of nickel foam alloying and heat treatment on the flexural rigidity of the sandwich structures were investigated and compared with as-received foam and as-fabricated sandwich structures. Available analytical models were employed to describe the effect of constituents' mechanical properties on the overall mechanical performance of the sandwich structures. Finite element modeling using ANSYS Structural was used to simulate the behaviour of the sandwich structures in four-point bending. The analytical and simulation results were compared with the experimental results obtained from the flexural tests.

Research of a Tram Headstock from Composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malkovsky, Zdenek; Kovandova, Hedvika

2014-08-01

The requirements for crashworthiness of railway vehicles are defined by the Railroad crashworthiness standard EN 15227. This standard is based on the findings of the characteristics of steel structures of front parts of railway vehicles. In the Czech Republic an extensive research was carried out within the project TIP FR-TI1/113 on application of composite sandwich structure elements in the design of the front cabins of a railway vehicle. The aim of the research work was to determine real possibilities of the composite sandwich structures for use in the construction of railway vehicles while considering the validity of the above-mentioned standard.

Development of a microcapillary column for detecting targeted messenger RNA molecules.

PubMed

Ohnishi, Michihiro

2006-03-24

A capillary column in a rapid-flow system has been developed for detecting targeted messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. The column has a structure made of two beds-one bed of porous microbeads and one bed of microbeads with a polythymidine base sequence. The targeted eukaryotic mRNA molecules are detected by two-step hybridization (sandwich hybridization) composed of polyadenosine selection of mRNA molecules and formation of a probe-target (targeted mRNA) hybrid. The sandwich hybridization, which is accomplished within 1 h, was tested using synthetic polydeoxynucleotides. Ten picomoles of the targeted polydeoxynucleotide were detected.

Near-field photochemical and radiation-induced chemical fabrication of nanopatterns of a self-assembled silane monolayer

PubMed Central

Hentschel, Carsten; Fontein, Florian; Stegemann, Linda; Hoeppener, Christiane; Fuchs, Harald; Hoeppener, Stefanie

2014-01-01

Summary A general concept for parallel near-field photochemical and radiation-induced chemical processes for the fabrication of nanopatterns of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) is explored with three different processes: 1) a near-field photochemical process by photochemical bleaching of a monomolecular layer of dye molecules chemically bound to an APTES SAM, 2) a chemical process induced by oxygen plasma etching as well as 3) a combined near-field UV-photochemical and ozone-induced chemical process, which is applied directly to an APTES SAM. All approaches employ a sandwich configuration of the surface-supported SAM, and a lithographic mask in form of gold nanostructures fabricated through colloidal sphere lithography (CL), which is either exposed to visible light, oxygen plasma or an UV–ozone atmosphere. The gold mask has the function to inhibit the photochemical reactions by highly localized near-field interactions between metal mask and SAM and to inhibit the radiation-induced chemical reactions by casting a highly localized shadow. The removal of the gold mask reveals the SAM nanopattern. PMID:25247126

Bilayered graphene/h-BN with folded holes as new nanoelectronic materials: modeling of structures and electronic properties

PubMed Central

Chernozatonskii, Leonid A.; Demin, Viсtor A.; Bellucci, Stefano

2016-01-01

The latest achievements in 2-dimensional (2D) material research have shown the perspective use of sandwich structures in nanodevices. We demonstrate the following generation of bilayer materials for electronics and optoelectronics. The atomic structures, the stability and electronic properties of Moiré graphene (G)/h-BN bilayers with folded nanoholes have been investigated theoretically by ab-initio DFT method. These perforated bilayers with folded hole edges may present electronic properties different from the properties of both graphene and monolayer nanomesh structures. The closing of the edges is realized by C-B(N) bonds that form after folding the borders of the holes. Stable ≪round≫ and ≪triangle≫ holes organization are studied and compared with similar hole forms in single layer graphene. The electronic band structures of the considered G/BN nanomeshes reveal semiconducting or metallic characteristics depending on the sizes and edge terminations of the created holes. This investigation of the new types of G/BN nanostructures with folded edges might provide a directional guide for the future of this emerging area. PMID:27897237

Self-assembled peptide nanostructures for functional materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sardan Ekiz, Melis; Cinar, Goksu; Aref Khalily, Mohammad; Guler, Mustafa O.

2016-10-01

Nature is an important inspirational source for scientists, and presents complex and elegant examples of adaptive and intelligent systems created by self-assembly. Significant effort has been devoted to understanding these sophisticated systems. The self-assembly process enables us to create supramolecular nanostructures with high order and complexity, and peptide-based self-assembling building blocks can serve as suitable platforms to construct nanostructures showing diverse features and applications. In this review, peptide-based supramolecular assemblies will be discussed in terms of their synthesis, design, characterization and application. Peptide nanostructures are categorized based on their chemical and physical properties and will be examined by rationalizing the influence of peptide design on the resulting morphology and the methods employed to characterize these high order complex systems. Moreover, the application of self-assembled peptide nanomaterials as functional materials in information technologies and environmental sciences will be reviewed by providing examples from recently published high-impact studies.

Inverse metal-assisted chemical etching produces smooth high aspect ratio InP nanostructures.

PubMed

Kim, Seung Hyun; Mohseni, Parsian K; Song, Yi; Ishihara, Tatsumi; Li, Xiuling

2015-01-14

Creating high aspect ratio (AR) nanostructures by top-down fabrication without surface damage remains challenging for III-V semiconductors. Here, we demonstrate uniform, array-based InP nanostructures with lateral dimensions as small as sub-20 nm and AR > 35 using inverse metal-assisted chemical etching (I-MacEtch) in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4), a purely solution-based yet anisotropic etching method. The mechanism of I-MacEtch, in contrast to regular MacEtch, is explored through surface characterization. Unique to I-MacEtch, the sidewall etching profile is remarkably smooth, independent of metal pattern edge roughness. The capability of this simple method to create various InP nanostructures, including high AR fins, can potentially enable the aggressive scaling of InP based transistors and optoelectronic devices with better performance and at lower cost than conventional etching methods.

Quantum Engineering of States in Heterostructure-based Detectors for Enhance Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-26

excited carrier contribution in these heterostructure- based photodetectors has been reduced by using phonon-assisted transitions to design structures ...experimental investigations of nanostructure- based electronic and optoelectronic structures with the goal of facilitating major improvements in the performance...nanostructures. Quantum engineering of nano- structures is emphasized. Related quantum- based structures – including those with spontaneous polarizations are

Development of a Quantitative Sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detecting the MPT64 Antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Ji, Mijung; Cho, Byungki; Cho, Young Shik; Park, Song-Yong; Cho, Sang-Nae

2014-01-01

Purpose Tuberculosis (TB) is a major infectious disease and is responsible for two million deaths annually. For the identification and quantitation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), a causative agent of TB, a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against the MPT64 protein of M. tuberculosis, an antigen marker of the M. tuberculosis complex, was developed. Materials and Methods The MPT64 protein was expressed, and anti-MPT64 monoclonal antibodies were prepared. A sandwich ELISA was established using recombinant MPT64 protein and anti-MPT64 monoclonal antibodies. The sandwich MPT64 ELISA was evaluated using reference and clinical mycobacterial strains. Results The sandwich MPT64 ELISA detected MPT64 protein from 2.1 ng/mL to 250 ng/mL (equivalent to 1.7×104 CFU/mL and 2.0×106 CFU/mL). All 389 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates tested positive in the sandwich MPT64 ELISA (sensitivity, 100%), and the assay showed no cross reactivity to any tested nontuberculous mycobacterial strain (specificity, 100%). Conclusion The sandwich MPT64 ELISA is a highly sensitive and quantitative test for MPT64 protein, which can identify M. tuberculosis. PMID:24719143

Analysis of syntactic foam – GFRP sandwich composites for flexural loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Daniel; Velmurugan, R.; Jayaganthan, R.; Gupta, N. K.; Manzhirov, A. V.

2018-04-01

The use of glass microballoon (GMB) — epoxy syntactic foams as a sandwich core material is studied. The skins and foam core are fabricated and joined instantaneously unlike the procedures followed in the previous studies. Each successive layer of the sandwich is fabricated when the previous layer is in a semi-gelled state. These sandwich samples are characterized for their properties under flexural loading. The failure modes and mechanical properties are carefully investigated. The change in fabrication technique results in a significant increase in the load bearing pattern of the sandwich. In earlier studies, debonding was found to occur prematurely since the bonding between the skins and core is the weakest plane. Using the current technique, core cracking occurs first, followed by skin fiber breaking and debonding happens at the end. This ensures that the load carrying phase of the structure is extended considerably. The sandwich is also analytically studied using Reddy’s higher order shear deformation theory. A higher order theory is selected as the sandwich can no longer be considered as a thin beam and thus shear effects also need to be considered in addition to bending effects.

An Analysis of Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques for Polymer Matrix Composite Sandwich Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cosgriff, Laura M.; Roberts, Gary D.; Binienda, Wieslaw K.; Zheng, Diahua; Averbeck, Timothy; Roth, Donald J.; Jeanneau, Philippe

2006-01-01

Structural sandwich materials composed of triaxially braided polymer matrix composite material face sheets sandwiching a foam core are being utilized for applications including aerospace components and recreational equipment. Since full scale components are being made from these sandwich materials, it is necessary to develop proper inspection practices for their manufacture and in-field use. Specifically, nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques need to be investigated for analysis of components made from these materials. Hockey blades made from sandwich materials and a flat sandwich sample were examined with multiple NDE techniques including thermographic, radiographic, and shearographic methods to investigate damage induced in the blades and flat panel components. Hockey blades used during actual play and a flat polymer matrix composite sandwich sample with damage inserted into the foam core were investigated with each technique. NDE images from the samples were presented and discussed. Structural elements within each blade were observed with radiographic imaging. Damaged regions and some structural elements of the hockey blades were identified with thermographic imaging. Structural elements, damaged regions, and other material variations were detected in the hockey blades with shearography. Each technique s advantages and disadvantages were considered in making recommendations for inspection of components made from these types of materials.

Dynamic Response of Functionally Graded Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Sandwich Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehar, Kulmani; Panda, Subrata Kumar

2018-03-01

In this article, the dynamic response of the carbon nanotube-reinforced functionally graded sandwich composite plate has been studied numerically with the help of finite element method. The face sheets of the sandwich composite plate are made of carbon nanotube- reinforced composite for two different grading patterns whereas the core phase is taken as isotropic material. The final properties of the structure are calculated using the rule of mixture. The geometrical model of the sandwich plate is developed and discretized suitably with the help of available shell element in ANSYS library. Subsequently, the corresponding numerical dynamic responses computed via batch input technique (parametric design language code in ANSYS) of ANSYS including Newmark’s integration scheme. The stability of the sandwich structural numerical model is established through the proper convergence study. Further, the reliability of the sandwich model is checked by comparison study between present and available results from references. As a final point, some numerical problems have been solved to examine the effect of different design constraints (carbon nanotube distribution pattern, core to face thickness ratio, volume fractions of the nanotube, length to thickness ratio, aspect ratio and constraints at edges) on the time-responses of sandwich plate.

Development of a quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting the MPT64 antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Ji, Mijung; Cho, Byungki; Cho, Young Shik; Park, Song-Yong; Cho, Sang-Nae; Jeon, Bo-Young; Yoon, Byoung-Su

2014-05-01

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major infectious disease and is responsible for two million deaths annually. For the identification and quantitation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), a causative agent of TB, a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against the MPT64 protein of M. tuberculosis, an antigen marker of the M. tuberculosis complex, was developed. The MPT64 protein was expressed, and anti-MPT64 monoclonal antibodies were prepared. A sandwich ELISA was established using recombinant MPT64 protein and anti-MPT64 monoclonal antibodies. The sandwich MPT64 ELISA was evaluated using reference and clinical mycobacterial strains. The sandwich MPT64 ELISA detected MPT64 protein from 2.1 ng/mL to 250 ng/mL (equivalent to 1.7×10⁴ CFU/mL and 2.0×10⁶ CFU/mL). All 389 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates tested positive in the sandwich MPT64 ELISA (sensitivity, 100%), and the assay showed no cross reactivity to any tested nontuberculous mycobacterial strain (specificity, 100%). The sandwich MPT64 ELISA is a highly sensitive and quantitative test for MPT64 protein, which can identify M. tuberculosis.

A new nanostructured Silicon biosensor for diagnostics of bovine leucosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luchenko, A. I.; Melnichenko, M. M.; Starodub, N. F.; Shmyryeva, O. M.

2010-08-01

In this report we propose a new instrumental method for the biochemical diagnostics of the bovine leucosis through the registration of the formation of the specific immune complex (antigen-antibody) with the help of biosensor based on the nano-structured silicon. The principle of the measurements is based on the determination of the photosensitivity of the surface. In spite of the existed traditional methods of the biochemical diagnostics of the bovine leucosis the proposed approach may provide the express control of the milk quality as direct on the farm and during the process raw materials. The proposed variant of the biosensor based on the nano-structured silicon may be applied for the determination of the concentration of different substances which may form the specific complex in the result of the bioaffine reactions. A new immune technique based on the nanostructured silicon and intended for the quantitative determination of some toxic substances is offered. The sensitivity of such biosensor allows determining T-2 mycotoxin at the concentration of 10 ng/ml during several minutes.

DNA nanomaterials for preclinical imaging and drug delivery.

PubMed

Jiang, Dawei; England, Christopher G; Cai, Weibo

2016-10-10

Besides being the carrier of genetic information, DNA is also an excellent biological organizer to establish well-designed nanostructures in the fields of material engineering, nanotechnology, and biomedicine. DNA-based materials represent a diverse nanoscale system primarily due to their predictable base pairing and highly regulated conformations, which greatly facilitate the construction of DNA nanostructures with distinct shapes and sizes. Integrating the emerging advancements in bioconjugation techniques, DNA nanostructures can be readily functionalized with high precision for many purposes ranging from biosensors to imaging to drug delivery. Recent progress in the field of DNA nanotechnology has exhibited collective efforts to employ DNA nanostructures as smart imaging agents or delivery platforms within living organisms. Despite significant improvements in the development of DNA nanostructures, there is limited knowledge regarding the in vivo biological fate of these intriguing nanomaterials. In this review, we summarize the current strategies for designing and purifying highly-versatile DNA nanostructures for biological applications, including molecular imaging and drug delivery. Since DNA nanostructures may elicit an immune response in vivo, we also present a short discussion of their potential toxicities in biomedical applications. Lastly, we discuss future perspectives and potential challenges that may limit the effective preclinical and clinical employment of DNA nanostructures. Due to their unique properties, we predict that DNA nanomaterials will make excellent agents for effective diagnostic imaging and drug delivery, improving patient outcome in cancer and other related diseases in the near future. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Study of the Efficiency of High-strength, Steel, Cellular-core Sandwich Plates in Compression

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Aldie E , Jr; Semonian, Joseph W

1956-01-01

Structural efficiency curves are presented for high-strength, stainless-steel, cellular-core sandwich plates of various proportions subjected to compressive end loads for temperatures of 80 F and 600 F. Optimum proportions of sandwich plates for any value of the compressive loading intensity can be determined from the curves. The efficiency of steel sandwich plates of optimum proportions is compared with the efficiency of solid plates of high-strength steel and aluminum and titanium alloys at the two temperatures.

Elastic constants for superplastically formed/diffusion-bonded corrugated sandwich core

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, W. L.

1980-01-01

Formulas and associated graphs for evaluating the effective elastic constants for a superplastically formed/diffusion bonded (SPF/DB) corrugated sandwich core, are presented. A comparison of structural stiffnesses of the sandwich core and a honeycomb core under conditions of equal sandwich core density was made. The stiffness in the thickness direction of the optimum SPF/DB corrugated core (that is, triangular truss core) is lower than that of the honeycomb core, and that the former has higher transverse shear stiffness than the latter.

Conjoined Cochlear Models:. the Twamp and the Sandwich

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, Allyn

2009-02-01

A new model of the cochlea is created by joining parts of the traveling-wave amplifier (TWAMP) and the Sandwich models. The lossy, untuned traveling-wave line of the TWAMP is retained, but the TWAMP's tuned traveling-wave line is replaced by the Sandwich's traveling-wave line that represents the reticular lamina (RL) and scala tympani. The model combines stereocilliary forces, which act between the tectorial membrane (TM) and RL, with somatic outer hair cell forces that power the Sandwich.

3D Nanofabrication Using AFM-Based Ultrasonic Vibration Assisted Nanomachining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Jia

Nanolithography and nanofabrication processes have significant impact on the recent development of fundamental research areas such as physics, chemistry and biology, as well as the modern electronic devices that have reached nanoscale domain such as optoelectronic devices. Many advanced nanofabrication techniques have been developed and reported to satisfy different requirements in both research areas and applications such as electron-beam lithography. However, it is expensive to use and maintain the equipment. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) based nanolithography processes provide an alternative approach to nanopatterning with significantly lower cost. Recently, three dimensional nanostructures have attracted a lot of attention, motivated by many applications in various fields including optics, plasmonics and nanoelectromechanical systems. AFM nanolithography processes are able to create not only two dimensional nanopatterns but also have the great potential to fabricate three dimensional nanostructures. The objectives of this research proposal are to investigate the capability of AFM-based three dimensional nanofabrication processes, to transfer the three dimensional nanostructures from resists to silicon surfaces and to use the three dimensional nanostructures on silicon in applications. Based on the understanding of literature, a novel AFM-based ultrasonic vibration assisted nanomachining system is utilized to develop three dimensional nanofabrication processes. In the system, high-frequency in plane circular xy-vibration was introduced to create a virtual tool, whose diameter is controlled by the amplitude of xy-vibration and is larger than that of a regular AFM tip. Therefore, the feature width of a single trench is tunable. Ultrasonic vibration of sample in z-direction was introduced to control the depth of single trenches, creating a high-rate 3D nanomachining process. Complicated 3D nanostructures on PMMA are fabricated under both the setpoint force and z-height control modes. Complex contours and both discrete and continuous height changes are able to be fabricated by the novel 3D nanofabrication processes. Results are imaged clearly after cleaning the debris covering on the 3D nanostructures after nanomachining process. The process is validated by fabricating various 3D nanostructures. The advantages and disadvantages are compared between these two control modes. Furthermore, the 3D nanostructures were further transferred from PMMA surfaces onto silicon surfaces using reactive ion etching (RIE) process. Recipes are developed based on the functionality of the etching gas in the transfer process. Tunable selectivity and controllable surface finishes are achieved by varying the flow rate of oxygen. The developed 3D nanofabrication process is used as a novel technique in two applications, master fabrication for soft lithography and SERS substrates fabrication. 3D nanostructures were reversely molded on PDMS and then duplicated on new PMMA substrates. 3D nanostructures are fabricated, which can be either directly used or transferred on silicon as SERS substrates after coating 80 nm gold layers. They greatly enhanced the intensity of Raman scattering with the enhancement factor of 3.11x103. These applications demonstrate the capability of the novel process of AFM-based 3D nanomachining.

A Multi-scale Refined Zigzag Theory for Multilayered Composite and Sandwich Plates with Improved Transverse Shear Stresses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iurlaro, Luigi; Gherlone, Marco; Di Sciuva, Marco; Tessler, Alexander

2013-01-01

The Refined Zigzag Theory (RZT) enables accurate predictions of the in-plane displacements, strains, and stresses. The transverse shear stresses obtained from constitutive equations are layer-wise constant. Although these transverse shear stresses are generally accurate in the average, layer-wise sense, they are nevertheless discontinuous at layer interfaces, and thus they violate the requisite interlaminar continuity of transverse stresses. Recently, Tessler applied Reissner's mixed variational theorem and RZT kinematic assumptions to derive an accurate and efficient shear-deformation theory for homogeneous, laminated composite, and sandwich beams, called RZT(m), where "m" stands for "mixed". Herein, the RZT(m) for beams is extended to plate analysis, where two alternative assumptions for the transverse shear stresses field are examined: the first follows Tessler's formulation, whereas the second is based on Murakami's polynomial approach. Results for elasto-static simply supported and cantilever plates demonstrate that Tessler's formulation results in a powerful and efficient structural theory that is well-suited for the analysis of multilayered composite and sandwich panels.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beigi, Salman

Sandwiched (quantum) α-Rényi divergence has been recently defined in the independent works of Wilde et al. [“Strong converse for the classical capacity of entanglement-breaking channels,” preprint http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1306.1586 (2013)] and Müller-Lennert et al. [“On quantum Rényi entropies: a new definition, some properties and several conjectures,” preprint http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1306.3142v1 (2013)]. This new quantum divergence has already found applications in quantum information theory. Here we further investigate properties of this new quantum divergence. In particular, we show that sandwiched α-Rényi divergence satisfies the data processing inequality for all values of α > 1. Moreover we prove that α-Holevo information, a variant of Holevo informationmore » defined in terms of sandwiched α-Rényi divergence, is super-additive. Our results are based on Hölder's inequality, the Riesz-Thorin theorem and ideas from the theory of complex interpolation. We also employ Sion's minimax theorem.« less

Additive-manufactured sandwich lattice structures: A numerical and experimental investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fergani, Omar; Tronvoll, Sigmund; Brøtan, Vegard; Welo, Torgeir; Sørby, Knut

2017-10-01

The utilization of additive-manufactured lattice structures in engineered products is becoming more and more common as the competitiveness of AM as a production technology has increased during the past several years. Lattice structures may enable important weight reductions as well as open opportunities to build products with customized functional properties, thanks to the flexibility of AM for producing complex geometrical configurations. One of the most critical aspects related to taking AM into new application areas—such as safety critical products—is currently the limited understanding of the mechanical behavior of sandwich-based lattice structure mechanical under static and dynamic loading. In this study, we evaluate manufacturability of lattice structures and the impact of AM processing parameters on the structural behavior of this type of sandwich structures. For this purpose, we conducted static compression testing for a variety of geometry and manufacturing parameters. Further, the study discusses a numerical model capable of predicting the behavior of different lattice structure. A reasonably good correlation between the experimental and numerical results was observed.

Reflection of acoustic wave from the elastic seabed with an overlying gassy poroelastic layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Weiyun; Wang, Zhihua; Zhao, Kai; Chen, Guoxing; Li, Xiaojun

2015-10-01

Based on the multiphase poroelasticity theory, the reflection characteristics of an obliquely incident acoustic wave upon a plane interface between overlying water and a gassy marine sediment layer with underlying elastic solid seabed are investigated. The sandwiched gassy layer is modelled as a porous material with finite thickness, which is saturated by two compressible and viscous fluids (liquid and gas). The closed-form expression for the amplitude ratio of the reflected wave, called reflection coefficient, is derived theoretically according to the boundary conditions at the upper and lower interfaces in our proposed model. Using numerical calculation, the influences of layer thickness, incident angle, wave frequency and liquid saturation of sandwiched porous layer on the reflection coefficient are analysed, respectively. It is revealed that the reflection coefficient is closely associated with incident angle and sandwiched layer thickness. Moreover, in different frequency ranges, the dependence of the wave reflection characteristics on moisture (or gas) variations in the intermediate marine sediment layer is distinguishing.

Gas Sensors Based on Semiconducting Metal Oxide One-Dimensional Nanostructures

PubMed Central

Huang, Jin; Wan, Qing

2009-01-01

This article provides a comprehensive review of recent (2008 and 2009) progress in gas sensors based on semiconducting metal oxide one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. During last few years, gas sensors based on semiconducting oxide 1D nanostructures have been widely investigated. Additionally, modified or doped oxide nanowires/nanobelts have also been synthesized and used for gas sensor applications. Moreover, novel device structures such as electronic noses and low power consumption self-heated gas sensors have been invented and their gas sensing performance has also been evaluated. Finally, we also point out some challenges for future investigation and practical application. PMID:22303154

Initial development of high-accuracy CFRP panel for DATE5 antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Yuan; Lou, Zheng; Hao, Xufeng; Zhu, Jing; Cheng, Jingquan; Wang, Hairen; Zuo, Yingxi; Yang, Ji

2016-07-01

DATE5 antenna, which is a 5m telescope for terahertz exploration, will be sited at Dome A, Antarctica. It is necessary to keep high surface accuracy of the primary reflector panels so that high observing efficiency can be achieved. In antenna field, carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRP) sandwich panels are widely used as these panels are light in weight, high in strength, low in thermal expansion, and cheap in mass fabrication. In DATE5 project, CFRP panels are important panel candidates. In the design study phase, a CFRP prototype panel of 1-meter size is initially developed for the verification purpose. This paper introduces the material arrangement in the sandwich panel, measured performance of this testing sandwich structure samples, and together with the panel forming process. For anti-icing in the South Pole region, a special CFRP heating film is embedded in the front skin of sandwich panel. The properties of some types of basic building materials are tested. Base on the results, the deformation of prototype panel with different sandwich structures and skin layers are simulated and a best structural concept is selected. The panel mold used is a high accuracy one with a surface rms error of 1.4 μm. Prototype panels are replicated from the mold. Room temperature curing resin is used to reduce the thermal deformation in the resin transfer process. In the curing, vacuum negative pressure technology is also used to increase the volume content of carbon fiber. After the measurement of the three coordinate measure machine (CMM), a prototype CFRP panel of 5.1 μm rms surface error is developed initially.

AsMo7O27-bridged dinuclear sandwich-type heteropolymolybdates of Cr(III) and Fe(III): magnetism of [MM'(AsMo7O27)2]12- with MM' = FeFe, CrFe, and CrCr.

PubMed

Xu, Haisheng; Li, Lili; Liu, Bin; Xue, Ganglin; Hu, Huaiming; Fu, Feng; Wang, Jiwu

2009-11-02

Two new dinuclear sandwich-type heteropolymolybdates based on the mulitidendate inorganic fragment [AsMo(7)O(27)] and Cr(III) and Fe(III) ions, namely, the homometallic sandwich polyoxometalate (POM) (NH(4))(12)[Fe(2)(AsMo(7)O(27))(2)] x 12 H(2)O (1) and the first example of the "symmetrical" heterometallic Cr(III)-Fe(III) sandwich POM, (NH(4))(12)[FeCr(AsMo(7)O(27))(2)] x 13 H(2)O (2), were simultaneously synthesized in high yield. Their magnetic properties are thoroughly investigated together with the homometallic sandwich POM (NH(4))(12)[Cr(2)(AsMo(7)O(27))(2)] x 11 H(2)O (3). The chi(M)T values for compounds 1-3 at 300 K correspond well to the calculated spin-only values for Fe(III) (S = 5/2) and Cr(III) (S = 3/2) with g(Fe) = g(Cr) = 2. Upon cooling, the chi(M)T values decline monotonously and reach 0.14, 1.00, and 0.11 cm(3) K mol(-1) at 2.0 K for 1, 2, and 3, respectively, indicating a significant antiferromagnetic exchange between the magnetic centers with J = -2.09, -4.09, and -6.26 cm(-1), respectively, for 1, 2, and 3. The magnetic results clearly establish that compound 2 is formed by bimetallic Cr(III)-Fe(III) units and not by a mixture of the two antiferromagnetically coupled homometallic species. Their thermal properties are also characterized.

Analytical study of sandwich structures using Euler-Bernoulli beam equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Hui; Khawaja, H.

2017-01-01

This paper presents an analytical study of sandwich structures. In this study, the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation is solved analytically for a four-point bending problem. Appropriate initial and boundary conditions are specified to enclose the problem. In addition, the balance coefficient is calculated and the Rule of Mixtures is applied. The focus of this study is to determine the effective material properties and geometric features such as the moment of inertia of a sandwich beam. The effective parameters help in the development of a generic analytical correlation for complex sandwich structures from the perspective of four-point bending calculations. The main outcomes of these analytical calculations are the lateral displacements and longitudinal stresses for each particular material in the sandwich structure.

Fast synthesis of platinum nanopetals and nanospheres for highly-sensitive non-enzymatic detection of glucose and selective sensing of ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taurino, Irene; Sanzó, Gabriella; Mazzei, Franco; Favero, Gabriele; de Micheli, Giovanni; Carrara, Sandro

2015-10-01

Novel methods to obtain Pt nanostructured electrodes have raised particular interest due to their high performance in electrochemistry. Several nanostructuration methods proposed in the literature use costly and bulky equipment or are time-consuming due to the numerous steps they involve. Here, Pt nanostructures were produced for the first time by one-step template-free electrodeposition on Pt bare electrodes. The change in size and shape of the nanostructures is proven to be dependent on the deposition parameters and on the ratio between sulphuric acid and chloride-complexes (i.e., hexachloroplatinate or tetrachloroplatinate). To further improve the electrochemical properties of electrodes, depositions of Pt nanostructures on previously synthesised Pt nanostructures are also performed. The electroactive surface areas exhibit a two order of magnitude improvement when Pt nanostructures with the smallest size are used. All the biosensors based on Pt nanostructures and immobilised glucose oxidase display higher sensitivity as compared to bare Pt electrodes. Pt nanostructures retained an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the direct oxidation of glucose. Finally, the nanodeposits were proven to be an excellent solid contact for ion measurements, significantly improving the time-stability of the potential. The use of these new nanostructured coatings in electrochemical sensors opens new perspectives for multipanel monitoring of human metabolism.

Probability-based methodology for buckling investigation of sandwich composite shells with and without cut-outs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfano, M.; Bisagni, C.

2017-01-01

The objective of the running EU project DESICOS (New Robust DESign Guideline for Imperfection Sensitive COmposite Launcher Structures) is to formulate an improved shell design methodology in order to meet the demand of aerospace industry for lighter structures. Within the project, this article discusses the development of a probability-based methodology developed at Politecnico di Milano. It is based on the combination of the Stress-Strength Interference Method and the Latin Hypercube Method with the aim to predict the bucking response of three sandwich composite cylindrical shells, assuming a loading condition of pure compression. The three shells are made of the same material, but have different stacking sequence and geometric dimensions. One of them presents three circular cut-outs. Different types of input imperfections, treated as random variables, are taken into account independently and in combination: variability in longitudinal Young's modulus, ply misalignment, geometric imperfections, and boundary imperfections. The methodology enables a first assessment of the structural reliability of the shells through the calculation of a probabilistic buckling factor for a specified level of probability. The factor depends highly on the reliability level, on the number of adopted samples, and on the assumptions made in modeling the input imperfections. The main advantage of the developed procedure is the versatility, as it can be applied to the buckling analysis of laminated composite shells and sandwich composite shells including different types of imperfections.

25th anniversary article: hybrid nanostructures based on two-dimensional nanomaterials.

PubMed

Huang, Xiao; Tan, Chaoliang; Yin, Zongyou; Zhang, Hua

2014-04-09

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), receive a lot of attention, because of their intriguing properties and wide applications in catalysis, energy-storage devices, electronics, optoelectronics, and so on. To further enhance the performance of their application, these 2D nanomaterials are hybridized with other functional nanostructures. In this review, the latest studies of 2D nanomaterial-based hybrid nanostructures are discussed, focusing on their preparation methods, properties, and applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bioinspired synthesis of a soft-nanofilament-based coating consisting of polysilsesquioxanes/polyamine and its divergent surface control.

PubMed

Yuan, Jian-Jun; Kimitsuka, Nobuo; Jin, Ren-Hua

2013-04-24

The synthesis of polysilsesquioxanes coating with controllable one-dimensional nanostructure on substrates remains a major long-term challenge by conventional solution-phase method. The hydrolytic polycondensation of organosilanes in solution normally produces a mixture of incomplete cages, ladderlike, and network structures, resulting in the poor control of the formation of specific nanostructure. This paper describes a simple aqueous process to synthesize nanofilament-based coatings of polysilsesquioxanes possessing various organo-functional groups (for example, thiol, methyl, phenyl, vinyl, and epoxy). We utilized a self-assembled nanostructured polyamine layer as a biomimetically catalytic scaffold/template to direct the formation of one-dimensional nanofilament of polysilsesquioxanes by temporally and spatially controlled hydrolytic polycondensation of organosilane. The surface nanostructure and morphology of polysilsesquioxane coating could be modulated by changing hydrolysis and condensation reaction conditions, and the orientation of nanofilaments of polysilsesquioxanes on substrates could be controlled by simply adjusting the self-assembly conditions of polyamine layer. The nanostructure and polyamine@polysilsesquioxane hybrid composition of nanofilament-based coatings were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The template role of nanostructured polyamine layer for the formation of polysilsesquioxane nanofilament was confirmed by combining thin film X-ray diffraction (XRD) and XPS measurements. Moreover, these nanotextured coatings with various organo-functional groups could be changed into superhydrophobic surfaces after surface modification with fluorocarbon molecule.

Femtosecond laser induced concentric semi-circular periodic surface structures on silicon based on the quasi-plasmonic annular nanostructure.

PubMed

Han, Weina; Liu, Furong; Yuan, Yanping; Li, Xiaowei; Wang, Qingsong; Wang, Shaojun; Jiang, Lan

2018-05-04

In this study, we report polarization-dependent concentric circular periodic surface structures on Si induced by a single shot femtosecond (fs) laser pulse based on pre-processed quasi-plasmonic annular-shaped nanostructure. An abnormal annular-shaped energy deposition of the fundamental fs laser pulse can be found by using dual-wavelength superposition of the fundamental frequency (ω) and the second-harmonic frequency (2ω) of an fs Ti:sapphire laser, which is confirmed by real beam shape detection. Based on the annular-shaped energy distribution of dual-wavelength fs laser, a concentric quasi-plasmonic corral nanostructure can be imprinted on the Au thin film. Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) excitations on the planar metallic nanostructures enable the manipulation of light on subwavelength scales. Thus, the pre-processed concentric quasi-plasmonic corral nanostructure can act as a precursor for the subsequent SPPs excitation and propagation by the fs laser irradiation. Using this technique, polarization-dependent semi-circular periodic surface structures on silicon can be found by the irradiation of fs laser pulse with only one shot. This research provides an additional freedom for the laser induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) modulation based on the modulation of SPPs excitation and propagation, which plays an important role in the formation of LIPSS.

Femtosecond laser induced concentric semi-circular periodic surface structures on silicon based on the quasi-plasmonic annular nanostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Weina; Liu, Furong; Yuan, Yanping; Li, Xiaowei; Wang, Qingsong; Wang, Shaojun; Jiang, Lan

2018-07-01

In this study, we report polarization-dependent concentric circular periodic surface structures on Si induced by a single shot femtosecond (fs) laser pulse based on pre-processed quasi-plasmonic annular-shaped nanostructure. An abnormal annular-shaped energy deposition of the fundamental fs laser pulse can be found by using dual-wavelength superposition of the fundamental frequency (ω) and the second-harmonic frequency (2ω) of an fs Ti:sapphire laser, which is confirmed by real beam shape detection. Based on the annular-shaped energy distribution of dual-wavelength fs laser, a concentric quasi-plasmonic corral nanostructure can be imprinted on the Au thin film. Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) excitations on the planar metallic nanostructures enable the manipulation of light on subwavelength scales. Thus, the pre-processed concentric quasi-plasmonic corral nanostructure can act as a precursor for the subsequent SPPs excitation and propagation by the fs laser irradiation. Using this technique, polarization-dependent semi-circular periodic surface structures on silicon can be found by the irradiation of fs laser pulse with only one shot. This research provides an additional freedom for the laser induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) modulation based on the modulation of SPPs excitation and propagation, which plays an important role in the formation of LIPSS.

Effect of Different Concentration of Sodium Hydroxide [NaOH] on Kenaf Sandwich Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aziz, M.; Halim, Z.; Othman, M.

2018-01-01

Sandwich panels are structures that made of three layers, low-density core inserted in between thin skin layers. This structures allow the achievement of excellent mechanical performance with low weight, thus this characteristic fulfil requirement to be use in aircraft application. In recent time, sandwich structures have been studied due to it has multifunction properties and lightweight. The aim of this study is to fabricate a composite sandwich structures with biodegradable material for face sheet [skin] where the fibre being treat with different concentration of sodium hydroxide [NaOH] with 10 and 20 hours of soaking time. Kenaf fibre [treated] reinforced epoxy will be used as skins and Nomex honeycomb is chosen to perform as core for this sandwich composite structure. The mechanical properties that are evaluated such as flexural strength and impact energy of kenaf fibre-reinforced epoxy sandwich structures. For flexural test, the optimum flexural strength is 13.4 MPa and impact strength is 18.3 J.

Sandwich Panels Evaluated With Ultrasonic Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cosgriff, Laura M.

2004-01-01

Enhanced, lightweight material systems, such as 17-4PH stainless steel sandwich panels are being developed for use as fan blades and fan containment systems for next-generation engines. The bond strength between the core and face sheets is critical in maintaining the structural integrity of the sandwich structure. To improve the inspection and production of these systems, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center are using nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques, such as ultrasonic spectroscopy, to evaluate the brazing quality between the face plates and the metallic foam core. The capabilities and limitations of a swept-frequency approach to ultrasonic spectroscopy were evaluated with respect to these sandwich structures. This report discusses results from three regions of a sandwich panel representing different levels of brazing quality between the outer face plates and a metallic foam core. Each region was investigated with ultrasonic spectroscopy. Then, on the basis of the NDE results, three shear specimens sectioned from the sandwich panel to contain each of these regions were mechanically tested.

Supramolecular Differentiation for Construction of Anisotropic Fullerene Nanostructures by Time-Programmed Control of Interfacial Growth.

PubMed

Bairi, Partha; Minami, Kosuke; Hill, Jonathan P; Nakanishi, Waka; Shrestha, Lok Kumar; Liu, Chao; Harano, Koji; Nakamura, Eiichi; Ariga, Katsuhiko

2016-09-27

Supramolecular assembly can be used to construct a wide variety of ordered structures by exploiting the cumulative effects of multiple noncovalent interactions. However, the construction of anisotropic nanostructures remains subject to some limitations. Here, we demonstrate the preparation of anisotropic fullerene-based nanostructures by supramolecular differentiation, which is the programmed control of multiple assembly strategies. We have carefully combined interfacial assembly and local phase separation phenomena. Two fullerene derivatives, PhH and C12H, were together formed into self-assembled anisotropic nanostructures by using this approach. This technique is applicable for the construction of anisotropic nanostructures without requiring complex molecular design or complicated methodology.

ZnO Nanostructures for Tissue Engineering Applications

PubMed Central

Laurenti, Marco; Cauda, Valentina

2017-01-01

This review focuses on the most recent applications of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures for tissue engineering. ZnO is one of the most investigated metal oxides, thanks to its multifunctional properties coupled with the ease of preparing various morphologies, such as nanowires, nanorods, and nanoparticles. Most ZnO applications are based on its semiconducting, catalytic and piezoelectric properties. However, several works have highlighted that ZnO nanostructures may successfully promote the growth, proliferation and differentiation of several cell lines, in combination with the rise of promising antibacterial activities. In particular, osteogenesis and angiogenesis have been effectively demonstrated in numerous cases. Such peculiarities have been observed both for pure nanostructured ZnO scaffolds as well as for three-dimensional ZnO-based hybrid composite scaffolds, fabricated by additive manufacturing technologies. Therefore, all these findings suggest that ZnO nanostructures represent a powerful tool in promoting the acceleration of diverse biological processes, finally leading to the formation of new living tissue useful for organ repair. PMID:29113133

Complex Nanostructures from Materials based on Metal-Organic Frameworks for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion.

PubMed

Guan, Bu Yuan; Yu, Xin Yao; Wu, Hao Bin; Lou, Xiong Wen David

2017-12-01

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have drawn tremendous attention because of their abundant diversity in structure and composition. Recently, there has been growing research interest in deriving advanced nanomaterials with complex architectures and tailored chemical compositions from MOF-based precursors for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Here, a comprehensive overview of the synthesis and energy-related applications of complex nanostructures derived from MOF-based precursors is provided. After a brief summary of synthetic methods of MOF-based templates and their conversion to desirable nanostructures, delicate designs and preparation of complex architectures from MOFs or their composites are described in detail, including porous structures, single-shelled hollow structures, and multishelled hollow structures, as well as other unusual complex structures. Afterward, their applications are discussed as electrode materials or catalysts for lithium-ion batteries, hybrid supercapacitors, water-splitting devices, and fuel cells. Lastly, the research challenges and possible development directions of complex nanostructures derived from MOF-based-templates for electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications are outlined. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanostructured surfaces for analysis of anticancer drug and cell diagnosis based on electrochemical and SERS tools.

PubMed

El-Said, Waleed A; Yoon, Jinho; Choi, Jeong-Woo

2018-01-01

Discovering new anticancer drugs and screening their efficacy requires a huge amount of resources and time-consuming processes. The development of fast, sensitive, and nondestructive methods for the in vitro and in vivo detection of anticancer drugs' effects and action mechanisms have been done to reduce the time and resources required to discover new anticancer drugs. For the in vitro and in vivo detection of the efficiency, distribution, and action mechanism of anticancer drugs, the applications of electrochemical techniques such as electrochemical cell chips and optical techniques such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have been developed based on the nanostructured surface. Research focused on electrochemical cell chips and the SERS technique have been reviewed here; electrochemical cell chips based on nanostructured surfaces have been developed for the in vitro detection of cell viability and the evaluation of the effects of anticancer drugs, which showed the high capability to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of several chemicals at low concentrations. SERS technique based on the nanostructured surface have been used as label-free, simple, and nondestructive techniques for the in vitro and in vivo monitoring of the distribution, mechanism, and metabolism of different anticancer drugs at the cellular level. The use of electrochemical cell chips and the SERS technique based on the nanostructured surface should be good tools to detect the effects and action mechanisms of anticancer drugs.

Nanostructured surfaces for analysis of anticancer drug and cell diagnosis based on electrochemical and SERS tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Said, Waleed A.; Yoon, Jinho; Choi, Jeong-Woo

2018-04-01

Discovering new anticancer drugs and screening their efficacy requires a huge amount of resources and time-consuming processes. The development of fast, sensitive, and nondestructive methods for the in vitro and in vivo detection of anticancer drugs' effects and action mechanisms have been done to reduce the time and resources required to discover new anticancer drugs. For the in vitro and in vivo detection of the efficiency, distribution, and action mechanism of anticancer drugs, the applications of electrochemical techniques such as electrochemical cell chips and optical techniques such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have been developed based on the nanostructured surface. Research focused on electrochemical cell chips and the SERS technique have been reviewed here; electrochemical cell chips based on nanostructured surfaces have been developed for the in vitro detection of cell viability and the evaluation of the effects of anticancer drugs, which showed the high capability to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of several chemicals at low concentrations. SERS technique based on the nanostructured surface have been used as label-free, simple, and nondestructive techniques for the in vitro and in vivo monitoring of the distribution, mechanism, and metabolism of different anticancer drugs at the cellular level. The use of electrochemical cell chips and the SERS technique based on the nanostructured surface should be good tools to detect the effects and action mechanisms of anticancer drugs.

Hospital-acquired listeriosis associated with sandwiches in the UK: a cause for concern.

PubMed

Little, C L; Amar, C F L; Awofisayo, A; Grant, K A

2012-09-01

Hospital-acquired outbreaks of listeriosis are not commonly reported but remain a significant public health problem. To raise awareness of listeriosis outbreaks that have occurred in hospitals and describe actions that can be taken to minimize the risk of foodborne listeriosis to vulnerable patients. Foodborne outbreaks and incidents of Listeria monocytogenes reported to the Health Protection Agency national surveillance systems were investigated and those linked to hospitals were extracted. The data were analysed to identify the outbreak/incident setting, the food vehicle, outbreak contributory factors and origin of problem. Most (8/11, 73%) foodborne outbreaks of listeriosis that occurred in the UK between 1999 and 2011 were associated with sandwiches purchased from or provided in hospitals. Recurrently in the outbreaks the infecting subtype of L. monocytogenes was detected in supplied prepacked sandwiches and sandwich manufacturing environments. In five of the outbreaks breaches in cold chain controls of food also occurred at hospital level. The outbreaks highlight the potential for sandwiches contaminated with L. monocytogenes to cause severe infection in vulnerable people. Control of L. monocytogenes in sandwich manufacturing and within hospitals is essential to minimize the potential for consumption of this bacterium at levels hazardous to health. Manufacturers supplying sandwiches to hospitals should aim to ensure absence of L. monocytogenes in sandwiches at the point of production and hospital-documented food safety management systems should ensure the integrity of the food cold chain. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ag-ZnO nanostructure for ANTA explosive molecule detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaik, Ummar Pasha; Sangani, L. D. Varma; Gaur, Anshu

2016-05-23

Ag/ZnO nanostructure for surface enhanced Raman scattering application in the detection of ANTA explosive molecule is demonstrated. A highly rough ZnO microstructure was achieved by rapid thermal annealing of metallic Zn film. Different thickness Ag nanostructures are decorated over these ZnO microstructures by ion beam sputtering technique. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic studies carried out over Ag/ZnO substrates have shown three orders higher enhancement compared to bare Ag nanostructure deposited on the same substrate. The reasons behind such huge enhancement are discussed based on the morphology of the sample.

Highly sensitive H2 gas sensor of Co doped ZnO nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhati, Vijendra Singh; Ranwa, Sapana; Kumar, Mahesh

2018-04-01

In this report, the hydrogen gas sensing properties based on Co doped ZnO nanostructures are explored. The undoped and Co doped nanostructures were grown by RF magnetron sputtering system, and its structural, morphological, and hydrogen sensing behavior are investigated. The maximum relative response was occurred by the 2.5% Co doped ZnO nanostructures among undoped and other doped sensors. The enhancement of relative response might be due to large chemisorbed sites formation on the ZnO surface for the reaction to hydrogen gas.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Limiao, E-mail: chenlimiao@csu.edu.cn; Jing, Qifeng; Chen, Jun

Silver nanostructures with dendritic, flower-like and irregular morphologies were controllably deposited on a silicon substrate in an aqueous hydrogen fluoride solution at room temperature. The morphology of the Ag nanostructures changed from dendritic to urchin-like, flowerlike and pinecone-like with increasing the concentration of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (MW = 55,000) from 2 to 10 mM. The Ag nanostructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, and X-ray diffraction. Through a series of time-dependent morphological evolution studies, the growth processes of Ag nanostructures have been systematically investigated and the corresponding growth mechanisms have been discussed.more » In addition, the morphology-dependent surface-enhanced Raman scattering of as-synthesized Ag nanostructures were investigated. The results indicated that flower-like Ag nanostructure had the highest activity than the other Ag nanostructures for Rhodamine 6G probe molecules. Highlights: • A simple method was developed to prepare dendritic and flower-like Ag nanostructures. • The flower-like Ag nanoparticles exhibit highest SERS activity. • The SERS substrate based on flower-like Ag particles can be used to detect melamine.« less

Reusable three-dimensional nanostructured substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

PubMed

Zhu, Zhendong; Li, Qunqing; Bai, Benfeng; Fan, Shoushan

2014-01-13

To date, fabricating three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured substrate with small nanogap was a laborious challenge by conventional fabrication techniques. In this article, we address a simple, low-cost, large-area, and spatially controllable method to fabricate 3D nanostructures, involving hemisphere, hemiellipsoid, and pyramidal pits based on nanosphere lithography (NSL). These 3D nanostructures were used as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates of single Rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecule. The average SERS enhancement factor achieved up to 1011. The inevitably negative influence of the adhesion-promoting intermediate layer of Cr or Ti was resolved by using such kind of 3D nanostructures. The nanostructured quartz substrate is a free platform as a SERS substrate and is nondestructive when altering with different metal films and is recyclable, which avoids the laborious and complicated fabricating procedures.

Reusable three-dimensional nanostructured substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

To date, fabricating three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured substrate with small nanogap was a laborious challenge by conventional fabrication techniques. In this article, we address a simple, low-cost, large-area, and spatially controllable method to fabricate 3D nanostructures, involving hemisphere, hemiellipsoid, and pyramidal pits based on nanosphere lithography (NSL). These 3D nanostructures were used as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates of single Rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecule. The average SERS enhancement factor achieved up to 1011. The inevitably negative influence of the adhesion-promoting intermediate layer of Cr or Ti was resolved by using such kind of 3D nanostructures. The nanostructured quartz substrate is a free platform as a SERS substrate and is nondestructive when altering with different metal films and is recyclable, which avoids the laborious and complicated fabricating procedures. PMID:24417892

Recent developments in the fabrication of ordered nanostructure arrays based on nanosphere lithography.

PubMed

Wei, Xueyong

2010-11-01

Since it was invented two decades ago, Nanosphere Lithography (NSL) has been widely studied as a low cost and flexible technique to fabricate nanostructures. Based on the registered patents and some selected papers, this review will discuss recent developments of different NSL strategies for the fabrication of ordered nanostructure arrays. The mechanism of self-assembly process and the techniques for preparing the self-assembled nanosphere template are first briefly introduced. The nanosphere templates are used either as shadow masks or as moulds for pattern transfer. Much more work now combines NSL with other lithographic techniques and material growth methods to form novel nanostructures of complex shape or various materials. Hence, this review finally gives a discussion on some future directions in NSL study.

Retrosynthetic Analysis-Guided Breaking Tile Symmetry for the Assembly of Complex DNA Nanostructures.

PubMed

Wang, Pengfei; Wu, Siyu; Tian, Cheng; Yu, Guimei; Jiang, Wen; Wang, Guansong; Mao, Chengde

2016-10-11

Current tile-based DNA self-assembly produces simple repetitive or highly symmetric structures. In the case of 2D lattices, the unit cell often contains only one basic tile because the tiles often are symmetric (in terms of either the backbone or the sequence). In this work, we have applied retrosynthetic analysis to determine the minimal asymmetric units for complex DNA nanostructures. Such analysis guides us to break the intrinsic structural symmetries of the tiles to achieve high structural complexities. This strategy has led to the construction of several DNA nanostructures that are not accessible from conventional symmetric tile designs. Along with previous studies, herein we have established a set of four fundamental rules regarding tile-based assembly. Such rules could serve as guidelines for the design of DNA nanostructures.

Effect of photoanode surface coverage by a sensitizer on the photovoltaic performance of titania based CdS quantum dot sensitized solar cells.

PubMed

Prasad, Rajendra M B; Pathan, Habib M

2016-04-08

In spite of the promising design and architecture, quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) have a long way to go before they attain the actual projected photoconversion efficiencies. Such an inferior performance displayed by QDSSCs is primarily because of many unwanted recombination losses of charge carriers at various interfaces of the cell. Electron recombination due to back electron transfer at the photoanode/electrolyte interface is an important one that needs to be addressed, to improve the efficiency of these third generation nanostructured solar cells. The present work highlights the importance of conformal coverage of CdS quantum dots (QDs) on the surface of the nanocrystalline titania photoanode in arresting such recombinations, leading to improvement in the performance of the cells. Using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process, photoanodes are subjected to different amounts of CdS QD sensitization by varying the number of cycles of deposition. The sensitized electrodes are characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and transmission electron microscopy to evaluate the extent of surface coverage of titania electrodes by QDs. Sandwich solar cells are then fabricated using these electrodes and characterized employing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and J-V characteristics. It is observed that maximum solar cell efficiency is obtained for photoanodes with conformal coating of QDs and any further deposition of sensitizer leads to QD aggregation and so reduces the performance of the solar cells.

Further characterization and independent validation of a DNA aptamer-quantum dot-based magnetic sandwich assay for Campylobacter.

PubMed

Bruno, John G; Sivils, Jeffrey C

2017-11-01

Previously reported DNA aptamers developed against surface proteins extracted from Campylobacter jejuni were further characterized by aptamer-based Western blotting and shown to bind epitopes on proteins weighing ~16 and 60 kD from reduced C. jejuni and Campylobacter coli lysates. Proteins of these approximate weights have also been identified in traditional antibody-based Western blots of Campylobacter spp. Specificity of the capture and reporter aptamers from the previous report was further validated by aptamer-based ELISA-like (ELASA) colorimetric microplate assay. Finally, the limit of detection of the previously reported plastic-adherent aptamer-magnetic bead and aptamer-quantum dot sandwich assay (PASA) was validated by an independent food safety testing laboratory to lie between 5 and 10 C. jejuni cells per milliliter in phosphate buffered saline and repeatedly frozen and thawed chicken rinsate. Such ultrasensitive and rapid (30 min) aptamer-based assays could provide alternative or additional screening tools to enhance food safety testing for Campylobacter and other foodborne pathogens.

Palladium and platinum based solid and hollow nanoparticles: An ab-initio study of structural and electronic properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yildizhan, Gulsum; Caliskan, Serkan; Ozturk, Ramazan

2018-04-01

Nanoparticles composed of palladium and platinum are particularly interesting for catalytic purposes, for instance, selective hydrogenation and alcohol oxidation. The reactivity and selectivity of nanostructures are mostly based on the size and shape of the nanocrystals in catalytic reactions. In this work, we studied the structural stabilities of Pd and Pt based nanocubes and nanocages and adsorption strength of chemisorbed species on these nanostructures to investigate their structure dependent catalytic activities. Solid cubic and hollow cage like nanostructures of different sizes were designed with Pd and Pt atoms. The volume of the crystal cavity in nanocage structures was tuned by removing of atoms from solid cubic structure. The effect of size and shape on the formation energies and HOMO-LUMO energy gap of nanostructures were elucidated and correlated to structural stabilities, hardness-softness, electronegativity and electrophilicity index. The relationship between size and chemical reactivity clearly showed that increasing the number of atoms participating in a catalyst enhances the activity. For further understanding of the catalytic activity we employed 4-nitro thiophenol, as an S-donor representative molecule, to evaluate the adsorption characteristics of the nanostructures.

Structure and catalytic activities of ferrous centers confined on the interface between carbon nanotubes and humic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bing; Zhou, Xiaoyan; Wang, Dongqi; Yin, Jun-Jie; Chen, Hanqing; Gao, Xingfa; Zhang, Jing; Ibrahim, Kurash; Chai, Zhifang; Feng, Weiyue; Zhao, Yuliang

2015-01-01

Preparation of heterogeneous catalysts with active ferrous centers is of great significance for industrial and environmental catalytic processes. Nanostructured carbon materials (NCM), which possess free-flowing π electrons, can coordinate with transition metals, provide a confinement environment for catalysis, and act as potential supports or ligands to construct analogous complexes. However, designing such catalysts using NCM is still seldom studied to date. Herein, we synthesized a sandwich structured ternary complex via the coordination of Fe-loaded humic acid (HA) with C&z.dbd;C bonds in the aromatic rings of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), in which the O/N-Fe-C interface configuration provides the confinement environment for the ferrous sites. The experimental and theoretical results revealed octahedrally/tetrahedrally coordinated geometry at Fe centers, and the strong hybridization between CNT C π* and Fe 3d orbitals induces discretization of the atomic charges on aromatic rings of CNTs, which facilitates O2 adsorption and electron transfer from carbon to O2, which enhances O2 activation. The O2 activation by the novel HA/Fe-CNT complex can be applied in the oxidative degradation of phenol red (PR) and bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous media.Preparation of heterogeneous catalysts with active ferrous centers is of great significance for industrial and environmental catalytic processes. Nanostructured carbon materials (NCM), which possess free-flowing π electrons, can coordinate with transition metals, provide a confinement environment for catalysis, and act as potential supports or ligands to construct analogous complexes. However, designing such catalysts using NCM is still seldom studied to date. Herein, we synthesized a sandwich structured ternary complex via the coordination of Fe-loaded humic acid (HA) with C&z.dbd;C bonds in the aromatic rings of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), in which the O/N-Fe-C interface configuration provides the confinement environment for the ferrous sites. The experimental and theoretical results revealed octahedrally/tetrahedrally coordinated geometry at Fe centers, and the strong hybridization between CNT C π* and Fe 3d orbitals induces discretization of the atomic charges on aromatic rings of CNTs, which facilitates O2 adsorption and electron transfer from carbon to O2, which enhances O2 activation. The O2 activation by the novel HA/Fe-CNT complex can be applied in the oxidative degradation of phenol red (PR) and bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous media. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Optimization of the mass ratios of HA to CNTs and the reaction pH conditions for Fe loading; scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-Vis-near-infrared, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for CNT-HA; EPR experiment and UPLC-ESI-MS analysis; and DFT calculation. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr06665k

A sandwich-type optical immunosensor based on the alkaline phosphatase enzyme for Salmonella thypimurium detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widyastuti, E.; Puspitasari Schonherr, M. F.; Masruroh, A.; Anggraeni, R. A.; Nisak, Y. K.; Mursidah, S.

2018-03-01

Salmonella is pathogenic bacteria that caused foodborne diseases which being called Salmonellosis. Prevalence of Salmonellosis that being caused by Salmonella thypimurium in Indonesia is quite high. However, detection of Salmonella bacteria in food still limited, complicated, and required a lot time. Sensitive optical assay for Salmonella thypimurium paper based detection has been developed by integrating sandwich assay between antibody-antigen complex and alkaline phosphatase enzyme that produce visible bluish-purple colour with presence of NBT-BCIP substrate. The results showed that Limit of Quantitation of detection is 105 CFU mL-1 with detection time 15 minutes. Linearity test between Colour intensity that produced from Salmonella concentration presence on samples showed that detection has good linearity. Selectivity test exhibited excellent sensitivity with good discrimination against Escherichia coli.

Polarization modulation based on the hybrid waveguide of graphene sandwiched structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Junbo; Chen, Dingbo; Zhang, Jingjing; Zhang, Zhaojian; Huang, Jie

2017-09-01

Polarization beam splitter (PBS) plays an important role to realize beam control and modulation. A novel hybrid structure of graphene sandwiched waveguide is proposed to fulfill polarization manipulation and selection based on the refractive index engineering techniques. The fundamental mode of TM cannot be supported in this case. However, both TE and TM mode are excited and transmitting in the hybrid waveguide if the design parameters, including the waveguide width and the waveguide height, are changed. The incident wavelength largely affects the effective index, which results in supporting/not supporting the TM mode. The proposed design exhibits high extinction ratio, compact in size, flexible to control, compatible with CMOS process, and easy to be integrated with other optoelectronic devices, allowing it to be used in optical communication and optical information processing.

Orienting proteins by nanostructured surfaces: evidence of a curvature-driven geometrical resonance.

PubMed

Messina, Grazia M L; Bocchinfuso, Gianfranco; Giamblanco, Nicoletta; Mazzuca, Claudia; Palleschi, Antonio; Marletta, Giovanni

2018-04-26

Experimental and theoretical reports have shown that nanostructured surfaces have a dramatic effect on the amount of protein adsorbed and the conformational state and, in turn, on the performances of the related devices in tissue engineering strategies. Here we report an innovative method to prepare silica-based nanostructured surfaces with a reproducible, well-defined local curvature, consisting of ordered hexagonally packed arrays of curved hemispheres, from nanoparticles of different diameters (respectively 147 nm, 235 nm and 403 nm). The nanostructured surfaces have been made chemically homogeneous by partially embedding silica nanoparticles in poly(hydroxymethylsiloxane) films, further modified by means of UV-O3 treatments. This paper has been focused on the experimental and theoretical study of laminin, taken as a model protein, to study the nanocurvature effects on the protein configuration at nanostructured surfaces. A simple model, based on the interplay of electrostatic interactions between the charged terminal domains of laminin and the nanocurved charged surfaces, closely reproduces the experimental findings. In particular, the model suggests that nanocurvature drives the orientation of rigid proteins by means of a "geometrical resonance" effect, involving the matching of dimensions, charge distribution and spatial arrangement of both adsorbed molecules and adsorbent nanostructures. Overall, the results pave the way to unravel the nanostructured surface effects on the intra- and inter-molecular organization processes of proteins.

Mechanical design of DNA nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro, Carlos E.; Su, Hai-Jun; Marras, Alexander E.; Zhou, Lifeng; Johnson, Joshua

2015-03-01

Structural DNA nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field that has demonstrated great potential for applications such as single molecule sensing, drug delivery, and templating molecular components. As the applications of DNA nanotechnology expand, a consideration of their mechanical behavior is becoming essential to understand how these structures will respond to physical interactions. This review considers three major avenues of recent progress in this area: (1) measuring and designing mechanical properties of DNA nanostructures, (2) designing complex nanostructures based on imposed mechanical stresses, and (3) designing and controlling structurally dynamic nanostructures. This work has laid the foundation for mechanically active nanomachines that can generate, transmit, and respond to physical cues in molecular systems.Structural DNA nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field that has demonstrated great potential for applications such as single molecule sensing, drug delivery, and templating molecular components. As the applications of DNA nanotechnology expand, a consideration of their mechanical behavior is becoming essential to understand how these structures will respond to physical interactions. This review considers three major avenues of recent progress in this area: (1) measuring and designing mechanical properties of DNA nanostructures, (2) designing complex nanostructures based on imposed mechanical stresses, and (3) designing and controlling structurally dynamic nanostructures. This work has laid the foundation for mechanically active nanomachines that can generate, transmit, and respond to physical cues in molecular systems. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr07153k

Matrix coatings based on anodic alumina with carbon nanostructures in the pores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorokh, G. G.; Pashechko, M. I.; Borc, J. T.; Lozovenko, A. A.; Kashko, I. A.; Latos, A. I.

2018-03-01

The nanoporous anodic alumina matrixes thickness of 1.5 mm and pore sizes of 45, 90 and 145 nm were formed on Si substrates. The tubular carbon nanostructures were synthesized into the matrixes pores by pyrolysis of fluid hydrocarbon xylene with 1% ferrocene. The structure and composition of the matrix coatings were examined by scanning electron microscopy, Auger analysis and Raman spectroscopy. The carbon nanostructures completely filled the pores of templates and uniformly covered the tops. The structure of carbon nanostructures corresponded to the structure of multiwall carbon nanotubes. Investigations of mechanical and tribological properties of nanostructured oxide-carbon composite performed by scratching and nanoindentation showed nonlinear dependencies of the frictional force, penetration depth of the cantilever, hardness and plane strain modulus on the load. It was found that the microhardness of the samples increases with reduced of alumina pore diameter, and the penetration depth of the cantilever into the film grows with carbon nanostructures size. The results showed the high mechanical strength of nanostructured oxide-carbon composite.

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration

PubMed Central

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A.; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-01-01

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser–plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck. PMID:28290479

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration.

PubMed

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-03-14

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser-plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck.

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A.; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-03-01

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser-plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck.

Comparative study of label-free electrochemical immunoassay on various gold nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rafique, S.; Gao, C.; Li, C. M.; Bhatti, A. S.

2013-10-01

Electrochemical methods such as amperometry and impedance spectroscopy provide the feasibility of label-free immunoassay. However, the performance of electrochemical interfaces varies with the shape of gold nanostructures. In the present work three types of gold nanostructures including pyramid, spherical, and rod-like nanostructures were electrochemically synthesized on the gold electrode and were further transformed into immunosensor by covalent binding of antibodies. As a model protein, a cancer biomarker, Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) was detected using amperometric and impedimetric techniques on three nanostructured electrodes, which enabled to evaluate and compare the immunoassay's performance. It was found that all three immunosensors showed improved linear electrochemical response to the concentration of CEA compared to bare Au electrode. Among all the spherical gold nanostructure based immunosensors displayed superior performance. Under optimal condition, the immunosensors exhibited a limit of detection of 4.1 pg ml-1 over a concentration range of five orders of magnitude. This paper emphasizes that fine control over the geometry of nanostructures is essentially important for high-performance electrochemical immunoassay.

Gold Nanoparticles-Based Barcode Analysis for Detection of Norepinephrine.

PubMed

An, Jeung Hee; Lee, Kwon-Jai; Choi, Jeong-Woo

2016-02-01

Nanotechnology-based bio-barcode amplification analysis offers an innovative approach for detecting neurotransmitters. We evaluated the efficacy of this method for detecting norepinephrine in normal and oxidative-stress damaged dopaminergic cells. Our approach use a combination of DNA barcodes and bead-based immunoassays for detecting neurotransmitters with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and provides polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-like sensitivity. This method relies on magnetic Dynabeads containing antibodies and nanoparticles that are loaded both with DNA barcords and with antibodies that can sandwich the target protein captured by the Dynabead-bound antibodies. The aggregate sandwich structures are magnetically separated from the solution and treated to remove the conjugated barcode DNA. The DNA barcodes are then identified by SERS and PCR analysis. The concentration of norepinephrine in dopaminergic cells can be readily detected using the bio-barcode assay, which is a rapid, high-throughput screening tool for detecting neurotransmitters.

Detection of dopamine in dopaminergic cell using nanoparticles-based barcode DNA analysis.

PubMed

An, Jeung Hee; Kim, Tae-Hyung; Oh, Byung-Keun; Choi, Jeong Woo

2012-01-01

Nanotechnology-based bio-barcode-amplification analysis may be an innovative approach to dopamine detection. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of this bio-barcode DNA method in detecting dopamine from dopaminergic cells. Herein, a combination DNA barcode and bead-based immunoassay for neurotransmitter detection with PCR-like sensitivity is described. This method relies on magnetic nanoparticles with antibodies and nanoparticles that are encoded with DNA, and antibodies that can sandwich the target protein captured by the nanoparticle-bound antibodies. The aggregate sandwich structures are magnetically separated from solution, and treated in order to remove the conjugated barcode DNA. The DNA barcodes were then identified via PCR analysis. The dopamine concentration in dopaminergic cells can be readily and rapidly detected via the bio-barcode assay method. The bio-barcode assay method is, therefore, a rapid and high-throughput screening tool for the detection of neurotransmitters such as dopamine.

Using a silver-enhanced microarray sandwich structure to improve SERS sensitivity for protein detection.

PubMed

Gu, Xuefang; Yan, Yuerong; Jiang, Guoqing; Adkins, Jason; Shi, Jian; Jiang, Guomin; Tian, Shu

2014-03-01

A simple and sensitive method, based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), for immunoassay and label-free protein detection is reported. A series of bowl-shaped silver cavity arrays were fabricated by electrodeposition using a self-assembled polystyrene spheres template. The reflection spectra of these cavity arrays were recorded as a function of film thickness, and then correlated with SERS enhancement using sodium thiophenolate as the probe molecule. The results reveal that SERS enhancement can be maximized when the frequency of both the incident laser and the Raman scattering approach the frequency of the localized surface plasmon resonance. The optimized array was then used as the bottom layer of a silver nanoparticle-protein-bowl-shaped silver cavity array sandwich. The second layer of silver was introduced by the interactions between the proteins in the middle layer of the sandwich architecture and silver nanoparticles. Human IgG bound to the surface of this microcavity array can retain its recognition function. With the Raman reporter molecules labeled on the antibody, a detection limit down to 0.1 ng mL(-1) for human IgG is easily achieved. Furthermore, the SERS spectra of label-free proteins (catalase, cytochrome C, avidin and lysozyme) from the assembled sandwich have excellent reproducibility and high quality. The results reveal that the proposed approach has potential for use in qualitative and quantitative detection of biomolecules.

Nucleic Acid Sandwich Hybridization Assay with Quantum Dot-Induced Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer for Pathogen Detection

PubMed Central

Chou, Cheng-Chung; Huang, Yi-Han

2012-01-01

This paper reports a nucleic acid sandwich hybridization assay with a quantum dot (QD)-induced fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) reporter system. Two label-free hemagglutinin H5 sequences (60-mer DNA and 630-nt cDNA fragment) of avian influenza viruses were used as the targets in this work. Two oligonucleotides (16 mers and 18 mers) that specifically recognize two separate but neighboring regions of the H5 sequences were served as the capturing and reporter probes, respectively. The capturing probe was conjugated to QD655 (donor) in a molar ratio of 10:1 (probe-to-QD), and the reporter probe was labeled with Alexa Fluor 660 dye (acceptor) during synthesis. The sandwich hybridization assay was done in a 20 μL transparent, adhesive frame-confined microchamber on a disposable, temperature-adjustable indium tin oxide (ITO) glass slide. The FRET signal in response to the sandwich hybridization was monitored by a homemade optical sensor comprising a single 400 nm UV light-emitting diode (LED), optical fibers, and a miniature 16-bit spectrophotometer. The target with a concentration ranging from 0.5 nM to 1 μM was successfully correlated with both QD emission decrease at 653 nm and dye emission increase at 690 nm. To sum up, this work is beneficial for developing a portable QD-based nucleic acid sensor for on-site pathogen detection. PMID:23211753

Reflection and transmission of elastic waves through a couple-stress elastic slab sandwiched between two half-spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Changda; Chen, Xuejun; Wei, Peijun; Li, Yueqiu

2017-12-01

The reflection and transmission of elastic waves through a couple-stress elastic slab that is sandwiched between two couple-stress elastic half-spaces are studied in this paper. Because of the couple-stress effects, there are three types of elastic waves in the couple-stress elastic solid, two of which are dispersive. The interface conditions between two couple-stress solids involve the surface couple and rotation apart from the surface traction and displacement. The nontraditional interface conditions between the slab and two solid half-spaces are used to obtain the linear algebraic equation sets from which the amplitude ratios of reflection and transmission waves to the incident wave can be determined. Then, the energy fluxes carried by the various reflection and transmission waves are calculated numerically and the normal energy flux conservation is used to validate the numerical results. The special case, couple-stress elastic slab sandwiched by the classical elastic half-spaces, is also studied and compared with the situation that the classical elastic slab sandwiched by the classical elastic half-spaces. Incident longitudinal wave (P wave) and incident transverse wave (SV wave) are both considered. The influences of the couple-stress are mainly discussed based on the numerical results. It is found that the couple-stress mainly influences the transverse modes of elastic waves.

Evaluation of sandwich layer system of flexible pavements in Virginia.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1972-01-01

The use of a weak sandwich layer in a four-layer system is common in the construction of flexible pavements, but the use of a sandwich layer in a three-layer system is in the experimental stage in Virginia. Theoretical and field studies have been car...

Laser welded steel sandwich panel bridge deck development : finite element analysis and stake weld strength tests.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-09-01

This report summarizes the analysis of laser welded steel sandwich panels for use in bridge structures and : static testing of laser stake welded lap shear coupons. Steel sandwich panels consist of two face sheets : connected by a relatively low-dens...

A Review of Battle Damage Prediction and Vulnerability Reduction Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

monolithic constructions. Bahei-El-Din and Dvorak [38] showed that the use of a polyurethane or polyurea interlayer used in a sandwich plate in...sandwich plates reinforced with polyurethane/ polyurea interlayers under blast loads. Journal of Sandwich Structures and Materials 9 (3) 261–281. 39

Elastic and plastic buckling of simply supported solid-core sandwich plates in compression

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seide, Paul; Stowell, Elbridge Z

1950-01-01

A solution is presented for the problem of the compressive buckling of simply supported, flat, rectangular, solid-core sandwich plates stressed either in the elastic range or in the plastic range. Charts for the analysis of long sandwich plates are presented for plates having face materials of 24s-t3 aluminum alloy, 76s-t6 alclad aluminum alloy, and stainless steel. A comparison of computed and experimental buckling stresses of square solid-core sandwich plates indicates fair agreement between theory and experiment.

Temperature Effects on the Impact Behavior of Fiberglass and Fiberglass/Kevlar Sandwich Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halvorsen, Aaron; Salehi-Khojn, Amin; Mahinfalah, Mohammad; Nakhaei-Jazar, Reza

2006-11-01

Impact tests were performed on sandwich composites with Fiberglass and Fiberglass/Kevlar face sheets subjected to varied temperatures. A number of specimens were tested at -50 to 120 °C temperature range and at 20, 30, and 45 J low velocity energy levels. Impact properties of the sandwich composites that were evaluated include maximum normal and shear stresses, maximum energy absorption, non-dimensional parameters (AEMP, PI, and RD), and compression after impact strength. Composite specimens tested have a urethane foam filled honeycomb center sandwiched between a variation of four layered Fiberglass and Kevlar/Fiberglass face sheets in a thermoset polymer epoxy matrix. Results showed that the impact performance of these sandwich composites changed over the range of temperature considered and with the addition of a Kevlar layer.

Open-Mode Debonding Analysis of Curved Sandwich Panels Subjected to Heating and Cryogenic Cooling on Opposite Faces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.

1999-01-01

Increasing use of curved sandwich panels as aerospace structure components makes it vital to fully understand their thermostructural behavior and identify key factors affecting the open-mode debonding failure. Open-mode debonding analysis is performed on a family of curved honeycomb-core sandwich panels with different radii of curvature. The curved sandwich panels are either simply supported or clamped, and are subjected to uniform heating on the convex side and uniform cryogenic cooling on the concave side. The finite-element method was used to study the effects of panel curvature and boundary condition on the open-mode stress (radial tensile stress) and displacement fields in the curved sandwich panels. The critical stress point, where potential debonding failure could initiate, was found to be at the midspan (or outer span) of the inner bonding interface between the sandwich core and face sheet on the concave side, depending on the boundary condition and panel curvature. Open-mode stress increases with increasing panel curvature, reaching a maximum value at certain high curvature, and then decreases slightly as the panel curvature continues to increase and approach that of quarter circle. Changing the boundary condition from simply supported to clamped reduces the magnitudes of open-mode stresses and the associated sandwich core depth stretching.

Modification of the Sandwich Estimator in Generalized Estimating Equations with Correlated Binary Outcomes in Rare Event and Small Sample Settings

PubMed Central

Rogers, Paul; Stoner, Julie

2016-01-01

Regression models for correlated binary outcomes are commonly fit using a Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) methodology. GEE uses the Liang and Zeger sandwich estimator to produce unbiased standard error estimators for regression coefficients in large sample settings even when the covariance structure is misspecified. The sandwich estimator performs optimally in balanced designs when the number of participants is large, and there are few repeated measurements. The sandwich estimator is not without drawbacks; its asymptotic properties do not hold in small sample settings. In these situations, the sandwich estimator is biased downwards, underestimating the variances. In this project, a modified form for the sandwich estimator is proposed to correct this deficiency. The performance of this new sandwich estimator is compared to the traditional Liang and Zeger estimator as well as alternative forms proposed by Morel, Pan and Mancl and DeRouen. The performance of each estimator was assessed with 95% coverage probabilities for the regression coefficient estimators using simulated data under various combinations of sample sizes and outcome prevalence values with an Independence (IND), Autoregressive (AR) and Compound Symmetry (CS) correlation structure. This research is motivated by investigations involving rare-event outcomes in aviation data. PMID:26998504

Preparation and Photocatalytic Activity of Potassium-Incorporated Titanium Oxide Nanostructures Produced by the Wet Corrosion Process Using Various Titanium Alloys

PubMed Central

Lee, So Yoon; Lee, Choong Hyun; Kim, Do Yun; Locquet, Jean-Pierre; Seo, Jin Won

2015-01-01

Nanostructured potassium-incorporated Ti-based oxides have attracted much attention because the incorporated potassium can influence their structural and physico-chemical properties. With the aim of tuning the structural and physical properties, we have demonstrated the wet corrosion process (WCP) as a simple method for nanostructure fabrication using various Ti-based materials, namely Ti–6Al–4V alloy (TAV), Ti–Ni (TN) alloy and pure Ti, which have 90%, 50% and 100% initial Ti content, respectively. We have systematically investigated the relationship between the Ti content in the initial metal and the precise condition of WCP to control the structural and physical properties of the resulting nanostructures. The WCP treatment involved various concentrations of KOH solutions. The precise conditions for producing K-incorporated nanostructured titanium oxide films (nTOFs) were strongly dependent on the Ti content of the initial metal. Ti and TAV yielded one-dimensional nanowires of K-incorporated nTOFs after treatment with 10 mol/L-KOH solution, whereas TN required a higher concentration (20 mol/L-KOH solution) to produce comparable nanostructures. The obtained nanostructures revealed a blue-shift in UV absorption spectra due to the quantum confinement effects. A significant enhancement of the photocatalytic activity was observed via the chromomeric change and the intermediate formation of methylene blue molecules under UV irradiation. This study demonstrates the WCP as a simple, versatile and scalable method for the production of nanostructured K-incorporated nTOFs to be used as high-performance photocatalysts for environmental and energy applications. PMID:28347071

Nano-array integrated monolithic devices: toward rational materials design and multi-functional performance by scalable nanostructures assembly

DOE PAGES

Wang, Sibo; Ren, Zheng; Guo, Yanbing; ...

2016-03-21

We report the scalable three-dimensional (3-D) integration of functional nanostructures into applicable platforms represents a promising technology to meet the ever-increasing demands of fabricating high performance devices featuring cost-effectiveness, structural sophistication and multi-functional enabling. Such an integration process generally involves a diverse array of nanostructural entities (nano-entities) consisting of dissimilar nanoscale building blocks such as nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanofilms made of metals, ceramics, or polymers. Various synthetic strategies and integration methods have enabled the successful assembly of both structurally and functionally tailored nano-arrays into a unique class of monolithic devices. The performance of nano-array based monolithic devices is dictated bymore » a few important factors such as materials substrate selection, nanostructure composition and nano-architecture geometry. Therefore, the rational material selection and nano-entity manipulation during the nano-array integration process, aiming to exploit the advantageous characteristics of nanostructures and their ensembles, are critical steps towards bridging the design of nanostructure integrated monolithic devices with various practical applications. In this article, we highlight the latest research progress of the two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D metal and metal oxide based nanostructural integrations into prototype devices applicable with ultrahigh efficiency, good robustness and improved functionality. Lastly, selective examples of nano-array integration, scalable nanomanufacturing and representative monolithic devices such as catalytic converters, sensors and batteries will be utilized as the connecting dots to display a roadmap from hierarchical nanostructural assembly to practical nanotechnology implications ranging from energy, environmental, to chemical and biotechnology areas.« less

Hyper-branched CdTe nanostructures based on the self-assembling of quantum dots and their optical properties.

PubMed

Pan, Ling-Yun; Pan, Gen-Cai; Zhang, Yong-Lai; Gao, Bing-Rong; Dai, Zhen-Wen

2013-02-01

As the priority of interconnects and active components in nanoscale optical and electronic devices, three-dimensional hyper-branched nanostructures came into focus of research. Recently, a novel crystallization route, named as "nonclassical crystallization," has been reported for three-dimensional nanostructuring. In this process, Quantum dots are used as building blocks for the construction of the whole hyper-branched structures instead of ions or single-molecules in conventional crystallization. The specialty of these nanostructures is the inheritability of pristine quantum dots' physical integrity because of their polycrystalline structures, such as quantum confinement effect and thus the luminescence. Moreover, since a longer diffusion length could exist in polycrystalline nanostructures due to the dramatically decreased distance between pristine quantum dots, the exciton-exciton interaction would be different with well dispersed quantum dots and single crystal nanostructures. This may be a benefit for electron transport in solar cell application. Therefore, it is very necessary to investigate the exciton-exciton interaction in such kind of polycrystalline nanostructures and their optical properites for solar cell application. In this research, we report a novel CdTe hyper-branched nanostructures based on self-assembly of CdTe quantum dots. Each branch shows polycrystalline with pristine quantum dots as the building units. Both steady state and time-resolved spectroscopy were performed to investigate the properties of carrier transport. Steady state optical properties of pristine quantum dots are well inherited by formed structures. While a suppressed multi-exciton recombination rate was observed. This result supports the percolation of carriers through the branches' network.

Nano-array integrated monolithic devices: toward rational materials design and multi-functional performance by scalable nanostructures assembly

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Sibo; Ren, Zheng; Guo, Yanbing

We report the scalable three-dimensional (3-D) integration of functional nanostructures into applicable platforms represents a promising technology to meet the ever-increasing demands of fabricating high performance devices featuring cost-effectiveness, structural sophistication and multi-functional enabling. Such an integration process generally involves a diverse array of nanostructural entities (nano-entities) consisting of dissimilar nanoscale building blocks such as nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanofilms made of metals, ceramics, or polymers. Various synthetic strategies and integration methods have enabled the successful assembly of both structurally and functionally tailored nano-arrays into a unique class of monolithic devices. The performance of nano-array based monolithic devices is dictated bymore » a few important factors such as materials substrate selection, nanostructure composition and nano-architecture geometry. Therefore, the rational material selection and nano-entity manipulation during the nano-array integration process, aiming to exploit the advantageous characteristics of nanostructures and their ensembles, are critical steps towards bridging the design of nanostructure integrated monolithic devices with various practical applications. In this article, we highlight the latest research progress of the two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D metal and metal oxide based nanostructural integrations into prototype devices applicable with ultrahigh efficiency, good robustness and improved functionality. Lastly, selective examples of nano-array integration, scalable nanomanufacturing and representative monolithic devices such as catalytic converters, sensors and batteries will be utilized as the connecting dots to display a roadmap from hierarchical nanostructural assembly to practical nanotechnology implications ranging from energy, environmental, to chemical and biotechnology areas.« less

Sound transmission through lined, composite panel structures: Transversely isotropic poro-elastic model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jeong-Woo

A joint experimental and analytical investigation of the sound transmission loss (STL) and two-dimensional free wave propagation in composite sandwich panels is presented here. An existing panel, a Nomex honeycomb sandwich panel, was studied in detail. For the purpose of understanding the typical behavior of sandwich panels, a composite structure comprising two aluminum sheets with a relatively soft, poro-elastic foam core was also constructed and studied. The cores of both panels were modeled using an anisotropic (transversely isotropic) poro-elastic material theory. Several estimation methods were used to obtain the material properties of the honeycomb core and the skin plates to be used in the numerical calculations. Appropriate values selected from among the estimates were used in the STL and free wave propagation models. The prediction model was then verified in two ways: first, the calculated wave speeds and STL of a single poro-elastic layer were numerically verified by comparison with the predictions of a previously developed isotropic model. Secondly, to physically validate the transversely isotropic model, the measured STL and the phase speeds of the sandwich panels were compared with their predicted values. To analyze the actual treatment of a fuselage structure, multi-layered configurations, including a honeycomb panel and several layers such as air gaps, acoustic blankets and membrane partitions, were formulated. Then, to find the optimal solution for improving the sound barrier performance of an actual fuselage system, air layer depth and glass fiber lining effects were investigated by using these multi-layer models. By using the free wave propagation model, the first anti-symmetric and symmetric modes of the sandwich panels were characterized to allow the identification of the coincidence frequencies of the sandwich panel. The behavior of the STL could then be clearly explained by comparison with the free wave propagation solutions. By performing a parameter study based both on the STL and free wave propagation speeds, the mass, stiffness and damping-controlled regions of the STL were identified. The structural factors that can be adjusted to improve STL performance were also identified.

Fabrication of transition metal-containing nanostructures via polymer templates for a multitude of applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Jennifer Qing

Nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes and semiconducting nanowires offer great technological promise due to their remarkable properties. The lack of a rational synthesis method prevents fabricating these nanostructures with desirable and consistent properties at predefined locations for device applications. In this thesis, employing polymer templates, a variety of highly ordered catalytically active transition metal nanostructures, ranging from single metallic nanoparticles of Fe, Co, Ni, Au and bimetallic nanoparticles of Ni/Fe and Co/Mo to Fe-rich silicon oxide nanodomains with uniform and tunable size and spacing have been successfully synthesized. These nanostructures have been demonstrated to be excellent catalyst systems for the synthesis of carbon nanotube and silicon nanowire. High quality, small diameter carbon nanotubes and nanowires with narrow size distribution have been successfully attained. Because these catalytically active nanostructures are uniformly distributed and do not agglomerate at the growth temperatures, uniform, high density and high quality carbon nanotube mats have been obtained. Since this polymer template approach is fully compatible with conventional top-down photolithography, lithographically selective growth of carbon nanotubes on a surface or suspended carbon nanotubes across trenches have been produced by using existing semiconductor processing. We have also shown the feasibility of producing carbon nanotubes and silicon nanowires at predefined locations on a wafer format and established a wafer-level carbon nanotube based device fabrication process. The ability of the polymer template approach to control catalyst systems at the nano-, micro- and macro-scales paves a pathway for commercialization of these 1D nanostructure-enabled devices. Beside producing well-defined, highly ordered discrete catalytically active metal-containing nanostructures by the polymer template approach, Au and Ag nanotextured surfaces have also been attained by using a self-assembled ferrocenylsilane-based inorganic block copolymer template. These Au and Ag nanotextured surfaces exhibit different surface plasmon behavior than the nanotextured surface. Greatly enhanced and uniform Raman scattering have been observed on Ag nanotextured surfaces. Highly sensitive Au nanotextured surfaces suggest their potential application as sensing surfaces for SPR-based biodetection. This simple fabrication technique of producing inorganic nanostructures with adjustable properties such as size, spacing and composition offers great promise for both fundamental research and technological development.

A novel immunoassay based on the dissociation of immunocomplex and fluorescence quenching by gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Peng, Zhaofeng; Chen, Zhaopeng; Jiang, Jianhui; Zhang, Xiaobing; Shen, Guoli; Yu, Ruqin

2007-01-30

This study reports a novel, simple and sensitive immunoassay using fluorescence quenching caused by gold nanoparticles coated with antibody. The method is based on a non-competitive heterogeneous immunoassay of human IgG conducted by the typical procedure of sandwich immunocomplex formation. Goat anti-human IgG was first adsorbed on polystyrene microwells, and human IgG analyte was captured by the primary antibody and then sandwiched by antibody labeled with gold nanoparticles. The sandwich-type immunocomplex was subsequently dissociated by the mixed solution of sodium hydroxide and trisodium citrate, the solution obtained, which contains gold nanoparticles coated with antibody, was used to quench fluorescence. The fluorescence intensity of fluorescein at 517 nm was inversely proportional to the logarithm of the concentration of human IgG in the dynamic range of 10-5000 ng mL(-1) with a detection limit of 4.7 ng mL(-1). The electrochemical experiments and the UV-vis measurements were applied to demonstrate whether the immunogold was dissociated completely and whether the gold nanoparticles aggregated after being dissociated, respectively. The proposed system can be extended to detect target molecules such as other kinds of antigen and DNA strands, and has broad potential applications in disease diagnosis.

Study of Ag/RGO/ITO sandwich structure for resistive switching behavior deposited on plastic substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vartak, Rajdeep; Rag, Adarsh; De, Shounak; Bhat, Somashekhara

2018-05-01

We report here the use of facile and environmentally benign way synthesized reduced graphene oxide (RGO) for low-voltage non-volatile memory device as charge storing element. The RGO solutions have been synthesized using electrochemical exfoliation of battery electrode. The solution processed based RGO solution is suitable for large area and low-cost processing on plastic substrate. Room-temperature current-voltage characterisation has been carried out in Ag/RGO/ITO PET sandwich configuration to study the type of trap distribution. It is observed that in the low-voltage sweep, ohmic current is the main mechanism of current flow and trap filled/assisted conduction is observed at high-sweep voltage region. The Ag/RGO/ITO PET sandwich structure showed bipolar resistive switching behavior. These mechanisms can be analyzed based on oxygen availability and vacancies in the RGO giving rise to continuous least resistive path (conductive) and high resistance path along the structure. An Ag/RGO/ITO arrangement demonstrates long retention time with low operating voltage, low set/reset voltage, good ON/OFF ratio of 103 (switching transition between lower resistance state and higher resistance state and decent switching performance. The RGO memory showed decent results with an almost negligible degradation in switching properties which can be used for low-voltage and low-cost advanced flexible electronics.

Influence of reinforcement type on the mechanical behavior and fire response of hybrid composites and sandwich structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giancaspro, James William

Lightweight composites and structural sandwich panels are commonly used in marine and aerospace applications. Using carbon, glass, and a host of other high strength fiber types, a broad range of laminate composites and sandwich panels can be developed. Hybrid composites can be constructed by laminating multiple layers of varying fiber types while sandwich panels are manufactured by laminating rigid fiber facings onto a lightweight core. However, the lack of fire resistance of the polymers used for the fabrication remains a very important problem. The research presented in this dissertation deals with an inorganic matrix (Geopolymer) that can be used to manufacture laminate composites and sandwich panels that are resistant up to 1000°C. This dissertation deals with the influence of fiber type on the mechanical behavior and the fire response of hybrid composites and sandwich structures manufactured using this resin. The results are categorized into the following distinct studies. (i) High strength carbon fibers were combined with low cost E-glass fibers to obtain hybrid laminate composites that are both economical and strong. The E-glass fabrics were used as a core while the carbon fibers were placed on the tension face and on both tension and compression faces. (ii) Structural sandwich beams were developed by laminating various types of reinforcement onto the tension and compression faces of balsa wood cores. The flexural behavior of the beams was then analyzed and compared to beams reinforced with organic composite. The effect of core density was evaluated using oak beams reinforced with inorganic composite. (iii) To measure the fire response, balsa wood sandwich panels were manufactured using a thin layer of a fire-resistant paste to serve for fire protection. Seventeen sandwich panels were fabricated and tested to measure the heat release rates and smoke-generating characteristics. The results indicate that Geopolymer can be effectively used to fabricate both high strength composite plates and sandwich panels. A 2 mm thick coating of fireproofing on balsa wood is sufficient to satisfy FAA fire requirements.

Is there a shift to "active nanostructures"?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanian, Vrishali; Youtie, Jan; Porter, Alan L.; Shapira, Philip

2010-01-01

It has been suggested that an important transition in the long-run trajectory of nanotechnology development is a shift from passive to active nanostructures. Such a shift could present different or increased societal impacts and require new approaches for risk assessment. An active nanostructure "changes or evolves its state during its operation," according to the National Science Foundation's (2006) Active Nanostructures and Nanosystems grant solicitation. Active nanostructure examples include nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), nanomachines, self-healing materials, targeted drugs and chemicals, energy storage devices, and sensors. This article considers two questions: (a) Is there a "shift" to active nanostructures? (b) How can we characterize the prototypical areas into which active nanostructures may emerge? We build upon the NSF definition of active nanostructures to develop a research publication search strategy, with a particular intent to distinguish between passive and active nanotechnologies. We perform bibliometric analyses and describe the main publication trends from 1995 to 2008. We then describe the prototypes of research that emerge based on reading the abstracts and review papers encountered in our search. Preliminary results suggest that there is a sharp rise in active nanostructures publications in 2006, and this rise is maintained in 2007 and through to early 2008. We present a typology that can be used to describe the kind of active nanostructures that may be commercialized and regulated in the future.

Nanostructured sensors for biomedical applications--a current perspective.

PubMed

Krishnamoorthy, Sivashankar

2015-08-01

Nanostructured sensors have unique capabilities that can be tailored to advantage in advancing the diagnosis, monitoring and cure of several diseases and health conditions. This report aims at providing a current perspective on, (a) the emerging clinical needs that defines the challenges to be addressed by nanostructured sensors, with specific emphasis on early stage diagnosis, drug-diagnostic combinations, and predictive models to design therapy, (b) the emerging industry trends in in vitro diagnostics, mobile health care, high-throughput molecular and cell-based diagnostic platforms, and (c) recent instances of nanostructured biosensors, including promising sensing concepts that can be enhanced using nanostructures that carry high promise towards catering to the emerging clinical needs, as well as the market/industry trends. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Luminescent systems based on the isolation of conjugated PI systems and edge charge compensation with polar molecules on a charged nanostructured surface

DOEpatents

Ivanov, Ilia N.; Puretzky, Alexander A.; Zhao, Bin; Geohegan, David B.; Styers-Barnett, David J.; Hu, Hui

2014-07-15

A photoluminescent or electroluminescent system and method of making a non-luminescent nanostructured material into such a luminescent system is presented. The method of preparing the luminescent system, generally, comprises the steps of modifying the surface of a nanostructured material to create isolated regions to act as luminescent centers and to create a charge imbalance on the surface; applying more than one polar molecule to the charged surface of the nanostructured material; and orienting the polar molecules to compensate for the charge imbalance on the surface of the nanostructured material. The compensation of the surface charge imbalance by the polar molecules allows the isolated regions to exhibit luminescence.

Numerical analysis of stiffened shells of revolution. Volume 2: Users' manual for STAR-02S - shell theory automated for rotational structures - 2 (statics), digital computer program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Svalbonas, V.

1973-01-01

A procedure for the structural analysis of stiffened shells of revolution is presented. A digital computer program based on the Love-Reissner first order shell theory was developed. The computer program can analyze orthotropic thin shells of revolution, subjected to unsymmetric distributed loading or concentrated line loads, as well as thermal strains. The geometrical shapes of the shells which may be analyzed are described. The shell wall cross section can be a sheet, sandwich, or reinforced sheet or sandwich. General stiffness input options are also available.

Use of facile mechanochemical method to functionalize carbon nanofibers with nanostructured polyaniline and their electrochemical capacitance

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

A facile approach to functionalize carbon nanofibers [CNFs] with nanostructured polyaniline was developed via in situ mechanochemical polymerization of polyaniline in the presence of chemically treated CNFs. The nanostructured polyaniline grafting on the CNF was mainly in a form of branched nanofibers as well as rough nanolayers. The good dispersibility and processability of the hybrid nanocomposite could be attributed to its overall nanostructure which enhanced its accessibility to the electrolyte. The mechanochemical oxidation polymerization was believed to be related to the strong Lewis acid characteristic of FeCl3 and the Lewis base characteristic of aniline. The growth mechanism of the hierarchical structured nanofibers was also discussed. After functionalization with the nanostructured polyaniline, the hybrid polyaniline/CNF composite showed an enhanced specific capacitance, which might be related to its hierarchical nanostructure and the interaction between the aromatic polyaniline molecules and the CNFs. PMID:22315992

Morphology and thermodynamic characteristics of selenium-containing nanostructures based on polymethacrylic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valueva, S. V.; Borovikova, L. N.; Vylegzhanina, M. E.; Sukhanova, T. E.

2010-09-01

The morphology and thermodynamic characteristics of nanostructures formed as a result of the reduction of the selenium ion in a selenite-ascorbate redox system in water solutions of polymethacrylic acid were studied by molecular optics and atomic-force microscopy. The dependence of the morphology of the selenium-containing nanostructures on the mass selenium-to-polymer ratio (ν) in solution was determined. It was established that a large number of macromolecules (up to 4300) is adsorbed on the selenium nanoparticles, leading to the formation of nanostructures with super-high molecular mass and an almost spherical form. It was shown that the density of the nanostructures, as calculated on the basis of the experimental data on the size and molecular mass of the nanocomposite, depends substantially on the selenium concentrations in the solution. The thermodynamic state of the solutions of nanostructures is described.

Transition from poor ductility to room-temperature superplasticity in a nanostructured aluminum alloy.

PubMed

Edalati, Kaveh; Horita, Zenji; Valiev, Ruslan Z

2018-04-30

Recent developments of nanostructured materials with grain sizes in the nanometer to submicrometer range have provided ground for numerous functional properties and new applications. However, in terms of mechanical properties, bulk nanostructured materials typically show poor ductility despite their high strength, which limits their use for structural applications. The present article shows that the poor ductility of nanostructured alloys can be changed to room-temperature superplastisity by a transition in the deformation mechanism from dislocation activity to grain-boundary sliding. We report the first observation of room-temperature superplasticity (over 400% tensile elongations) in a nanostructured Al alloy by enhanced grain-boundary sliding. The room-temperature grain-boundary sliding and superplasticity was realized by engineering the Zn segregation along the Al/Al boundaries through severe plastic deformation. This work introduces a new boundary-based strategy to improve the mechanical properties of nanostructured materials for structural applications, where high deformability is a requirement.

The sandwich technique for repair of pectus carinatum and excavatum/carinatum complex.

PubMed

Park, Hyung Joo; Kim, Kyung Soo

2016-09-01

Simple external compression of pectus carinatum seems to have its limitations, particularly the repair of asymmetric pectus carinatum or excavatum/carinatum complex. We devised the sandwich technique (press-molding) to remodel the entire chest wall. The purpose of this study is to introduce the sandwich technique and appraise the early results. Between January 2007 and January 2016, 523 consecutive patients with pectus carinatum and its variants were analyzed retrospectively. No patients were excluded during the study period. The sandwich 1 and 2 techniques using the internal and external pectus bars were for pectus carinatum repair. Modified techniques using the external string and the internal bar were to treat the lower costal flare (the flare-buster) and focal protuberances (the magic string) in pectus excavatum repair. Statistical analyses were carried out using paired and unpaired t -test or Wilcoxon signed rank tests. The sandwich repair with the external and internal bars was applied to 58 pectus carinatum patients: seven symmetric (12.1%), 14 asymmetric (24.1%), and 37 carinatum-excavatum complex (63.8%). After pectus excavatum repair, 426 patients had the flare-buster and 39 patients received the magic string. The sandwich 1 technique achieved near-complete resolution of carinatum in 52 patients (86.2%). The sandwich 2 technique accomplished almost symmetric configuration with no residual carinatum in all six cases. The sandwich technique using the external and internal bars seems to be effective in treating asymmetric pectus carinatum and complex excavatum/carinatum deformities. The flare-buster and the magic string effectively relieve the costal flare and focal protuberances in pectus excavatum repair.

Evolution of morphological and optical properties of self-assembled Ag nanostructures on c-plane sapphire (0001) by the precise control of deposition amount

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunwar, Sundar; Li, Ming-Yu; Pandey, Puran; Sui, Mao; Zhang, Quanzhen; Lee, Jihoon

2016-12-01

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely adapted in various optoelectronic and sensing applications due to the size, shape and density dependent tunable properties. In this work, the systematic control of the size, configuration and density of self-assembled Ag nanostructures on c-plane sapphire (0001) is demonstrated through the solid state dewetting process by the variation of deposition amount (DA) at two distinctive temperature of 400 °C and 650 °C. The corresponding morphological evolution of Ag nanostructures is systematically discussed based on the diffusion, Volmer-Weber and coalescence growth model. In specific, at the relatively lower temperature of 400 °C, the Ag nanostructures evolve in three distinctive regimes based on the DA control: i.e. the dome-shaped Ag NPs between 2 and 14 nm (regime I), the irregular nano-mounds (NMs) between 20 and 40 nm (regime II), and the coalescence of Ag NMs into a layer between 60 and 200 nm (regime III). Meanwhile, at the relatively higher temperature of 650 °C, due to growth regime shift induced by the enhanced surface diffusion based on the increased thermal energy, the connected Ag NMs are resulted even at higher DAs and evolve along with the gradually increased DAs. The evolution of optical properties such as average reflectivity, plasmonic absorption band and the reflectance maxima (peaks) very sensitively respond to the evolution of size, shape and spacing of Ag nanostructures and discussed based on the surface plasmon, reflection and scattering. Specifically, the dome-shaped configuration exhibits strong absorption in the NIR region and weak absorption in visible region while the elongated NMs show the enhanced absorption in visible region. Furthermore, the Raman spectra (A 1g vibrational mode) of the Ag nanostructures demonstrate the strong correlation with the evolution of size, density and surface coverage of the nanostructures.

Modeling the electrostatic field localization in nanostructures based on DLC films using the tunneling microscopy methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yakunin, Alexander N.; Aban'shin, Nikolay P.; Avetisyan, Yuri A.; Akchurin, Georgy G.; Akchurin, Garif G.

2018-04-01

A model for calculating the electrostatic field in the system "probe of a tunnel microscope - a nanostructure based on a DLC film" was developed. A finite-element modeling of the localization of the field was carried out, taking into account the morphological and topological features of the nanostructure. The obtained results and their interpretation contribute to the development of the concepts to the model of tunnel electric transport processes. The possibility for effective usage of the tunneling microscopy methods in the development of new nanophotonic devices is shown.

A Novel AS1411 Aptamer-Based Three-Way Junction Pocket DNA Nanostructure Loaded with Doxorubicin for Targeting Cancer Cells in Vitro and in Vivo.

PubMed

Taghdisi, Seyed Mohammad; Danesh, Noor Mohammad; Ramezani, Mohammad; Yazdian-Robati, Rezvan; Abnous, Khalil

2018-05-07

Active targeting of nanostructures containing chemotherapeutic agents can improve cancer treatment. Here, a three-way junction pocket DNA nanostructure was developed for efficient doxorubicin (Dox) delivery into cancer cells. The three-way junction pocket DNA nanostructure is composed of three strands of AS1411 aptamer as both a therapeutic aptamer and nucleolin target, the potential biomarker of prostate (PC-3 cells) and breast (4T1 cells) cancers. The properties of the Dox-loaded three-way junction pocket DNA nanostructure were characterized and verified to have several advantages, including high serum stability and a pH-responsive property. Cellular uptake studies showed that the Dox-loaded DNA nanostructure was preferably internalized into target cancer cells (PC-3 and 4T1 cells). MTT cell viability assay demonstrated that the Dox-loaded DNA nanostructure had significantly higher cytotoxicity for PC-3 and 4T1 cells compared to that of nontarget cells (CHO cells, Chinese hamster ovary cell). The in vivo antitumor effect showed that the Dox-loaded DNA nanostructure was more effective in prohibition of the tumor growth compared to free Dox. These findings showed that the Dox-loaded three-way junction pocket DNA nanostructure could significantly reduce the cytotoxic effects of Dox against nontarget cells.

Sandwich consumption by adults in the U.S., What We Eat in America, NHANES 2009-2012

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although sandwiches are a staple of the American diet, little is known about their consumption and their contributions to dietary intakes of energy, nutrients, and food components. In this report, the definition of “sandwich” includes not only sandwiches represented in the dietary data by a single ...

Practical Instruction in Tissue Culture and Cytogenetics for Sandwich Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, D. C.; Bishun, N. P.

1973-01-01

Describes the training and practical techniques taught to students involved in a sandwich course at the Tissue Culture and Cytogenetics Unit of the Marie Curie Memorial Foundation, Surrey, England. Students spend a minimum of six months involved in the sandwich course before returning to university for a final academic year. (JR)

A Phloem Sandwich Unit for Observing Bark Beetles, Associated Predators, and Parasites

Treesearch

Donald N. Kim; Mitchel C. Miller

1981-01-01

This paper describes a phloem sandwich that allows observation of parent beetles, their brood, and associates within the inner bark, and permits observation of predator and parasite behavior on the bark surface. The construction of the unit permits the introduction of multiple pairs of beetles into a single sandwich.

Compression After Impact Testing of Sandwich Structures Using the Four Point Bend Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nettles, Alan T.; Gregory, Elizabeth; Jackson, Justin; Kenworthy, Devon

2008-01-01

For many composite laminated structures, the design is driven by data obtained from Compression after Impact (CAI) testing. There currently is no standard for CAI testing of sandwich structures although there is one for solid laminates of a certain thickness and lay-up configuration. Most sandwich CAI testing has followed the basic technique of this standard where the loaded ends are precision machined and placed between two platens and compressed until failure. If little or no damage is present during the compression tests, the loaded ends may need to be potted to prevent end brooming. By putting a sandwich beam in a four point bend configuration, the region between the inner supports is put under a compressive load and a sandwich laminate with damage can be tested in this manner without the need for precision machining. Also, specimens with no damage can be taken to failure so direct comparisons between damaged and undamaged strength can be made. Data is presented that demonstrates the four point bend CAI test and is compared with end loaded compression tests of the same sandwich structure.

Green synthesis of Au nanostructures at room temperature using biodegradable plant surfactants

EPA Science Inventory

One-step green synthesis of gold (Au) nanostructures is described using naturally occurring biodegradable plant surfactants such as VeruSOL-3™ (mixture of d-limonene and plant-based surfactants), VeruSOL-10™, VeruSOL-11™ and VeruSOL-12™ (individual plant-based surfactants deri...

Hierarchical charge distribution controls self-assembly process of silk in vitro

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Cencen; Liu, Lijie; Kaplan, David L.; Zhu, Hesun; Lu, Qiang

2015-12-01

Silk materials with different nanostructures have been developed without the understanding of the inherent transformation mechanism. Here we attempt to reveal the conversion road of the various nanostructures and determine the critical regulating factors. The regulating conversion processes influenced by a hierarchical charge distribution were investigated, showing different transformations between molecules, nanoparticles and nanofibers. Various repulsion and compressive forces existed among silk fibroin molecules and aggregates due to the exterior and interior distribution of charge, which further controlled their aggregating and deaggregating behaviors and finally formed nanofibers with different sizes. Synergistic action derived from molecular mobility and concentrations could also tune the assembly process and final nanostructures. It is suggested that the complicated silk fibroin assembly processes comply a same rule based on charge distribution, offering a promising way to develop silk-based materials with designed nanostructures.

Investigation of Transport Parameters of Graphene-Based Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergeyev, D. M.; Shunkeyev, K. Sh.

2018-03-01

The paper presents results of computer simulation of the main transport parameters of nanostructures obtained through the row-by-row removal of carbon atoms from graphene ribbon. Research into the electrical parameters is carried out within the density functional theory using the non-equilibrium Green functions in the local-density approximation. Virtual NanoLab based on Atomistix ToolKit is used to construct structures and analyze simulation results. Current-voltage characteristics, differential conductivity and transmittance spectra of nanostructures are calculated at different values of bias voltage. It is found that there is a large region of negative differential resistance in current-voltage characteristics of nanostructures caused by resonant tunneling of quasi-particles. Differential (dI/dV) characteristic also has similar changes. The obtained results can be useful for building novel electronic devices in the field of nanoelectronics.

Nanostructure based EO/IR sensor development for homeland security applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sood, Ashok K.; Welser, Roger E.; Sood, Adam W.; Puri, Yash R.; Manzur, Tariq; Dhar, Nibir K.; Polla, Dennis L.; Wang, Zhong L.; Wijewarnasuriya, Priyalal S.; Anwar, A. F. M.

2011-06-01

Next Generation EO/IR focal plane arrays using nanostructure materials are being developed for a variety of Defense and Homeland Security Sensor Applications. Several different nanomaterials are being evaluated for these applications. These include ZnO nanowires, GaN Nanowires and II-VI nanowires, which have demonstrated large signal to noise ratio as a wide band gap nanostructure material in the UV band. Similarly, the work is under way using Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) for a high speed detector and focal plane array as two-dimensional array as bolometer for IR bands of interest, which can be implemented for the sensors for homeland security applications. In this paper, we will discuss the sensor design and model predicting performance of an EO/IR focal plane array and Sensor that can cover the UV to IR bands of interest. The model can provide a robust means for comparing performance of the EO/IR FPA's and Sensors that can operate in the UV, Visible-NIR (0.4- 1.8μ), SWIR (2.0-2.5μ), MWIR (3-5μ), and LWIR bands (8-14μ). This model can be used as a tool for predicting performance of nanostructure arrays under development. We will also discuss our results on growth and characterization of ZnO nanowires and CNT's for the next generation sensor applications. We also present several approaches for integrated energy harvesting using nanostructure based solar cells and Nanogenerators that can be used to supplement the energy required for nanostructure based sensors.

The self-assembled behavior of DNA bases on the interface.

PubMed

Liu, Lei; Xia, Dan; Klausen, Lasse H; Dong, Mingdong

2014-01-27

A successful example of self-assembly in a biological system is that DNA can be an excellent agent to self-assemble into desirable two and three-dimensional nanostructures in a well-ordered manner by specific hydrogen bonding interactions between the DNA bases. The self-assembly of DNA bases have played a significant role in constructing the hierarchical nanostructures. In this review article we will introduce the study of nucleic acid base self-assembly by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at vacuum and ambient condition (the liquid/solid interface), respectively. From the ideal condition to a more realistic environment, the self-assembled behaviors of DNA bases are introduced. In a vacuum system, the energetic advantages will dominate the assembly formation of DNA bases, while at ambient condition, more factors such as conformational freedom and the biochemical environment will be considered. Therefore, the assemblies of DNA bases at ambient condition are different from the ones obtained under vacuum. We present the ordered nanostructures formed by DNA bases at both vacuum and ambient condition. To construct and tailor the nanostructure through the interaction between DNA bases, it is important to understand the assembly behavior and features of DNA bases and their derivatives at ambient condition. The utilization of STM offers the advantage of investigating DNA base self-assembly with sub-molecular level resolution at the surface.

The Self-Assembled Behavior of DNA Bases on the Interface

PubMed Central

Liu, Lei; Xia, Dan; Klausen, Lasse H.; Dong, Mingdong

2014-01-01

A successful example of self-assembly in a biological system is that DNA can be an excellent agent to self-assemble into desirable two and three-dimensional nanostructures in a well-ordered manner by specific hydrogen bonding interactions between the DNA bases. The self-assembly of DNA bases have played a significant role in constructing the hierarchical nanostructures. In this review article we will introduce the study of nucleic acid base self-assembly by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at vacuum and ambient condition (the liquid/solid interface), respectively. From the ideal condition to a more realistic environment, the self-assembled behaviors of DNA bases are introduced. In a vacuum system, the energetic advantages will dominate the assembly formation of DNA bases, while at ambient condition, more factors such as conformational freedom and the biochemical environment will be considered. Therefore, the assemblies of DNA bases at ambient condition are different from the ones obtained under vacuum. We present the ordered nanostructures formed by DNA bases at both vacuum and ambient condition. To construct and tailor the nanostructure through the interaction between DNA bases, it is important to understand the assembly behavior and features of DNA bases and their derivatives at ambient condition. The utilization of STM offers the advantage of investigating DNA base self-assembly with sub-molecular level resolution at the surface. PMID:24473140

Nanodiamond-based nanostructures for coupling nitrogen-vacancy centres to metal nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots

DOE PAGES

Gong, Jianxiao; Steinsultz, Nat; Ouyang, Min

2016-06-08

The ability to control the interaction between nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond and photonic and/or broadband plasmonic nanostructures is crucial for the development of solid-state quantum devices with optimum performance. However, existing methods typically employ top-down fabrication, which restrict scalable and feasible manipulation of nitrogen-vacancy centres. Here, we develop a general bottom-up approach to fabricate an emerging class of freestanding nanodiamond-based hybrid nanostructures with external functional units of either plasmonic nanoparticles or excitonic quantum dots. Precise control of the structural parameters ( including size, composition, coverage and spacing of the external functional units) is achieved, representing a pre-requisite for exploring themore » underlying physics. Fine tuning of the emission characteristics through structural regulation is demonstrated by performing single-particle optical studies. Lastly, this study opens a rich toolbox to tailor properties of quantum emitters, which can facilitate design guidelines for devices based on nitrogen vacancy centres that use these freestanding hybrid nanostructures as building blocks.« less

Nanodiamond-based nanostructures for coupling nitrogen-vacancy centres to metal nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Jianxiao; Steinsultz, Nat; Ouyang, Min

2016-06-01

The ability to control the interaction between nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond and photonic and/or broadband plasmonic nanostructures is crucial for the development of solid-state quantum devices with optimum performance. However, existing methods typically employ top-down fabrication, which restrict scalable and feasible manipulation of nitrogen-vacancy centres. Here, we develop a general bottom-up approach to fabricate an emerging class of freestanding nanodiamond-based hybrid nanostructures with external functional units of either plasmonic nanoparticles or excitonic quantum dots. Precise control of the structural parameters (including size, composition, coverage and spacing of the external functional units) is achieved, representing a pre-requisite for exploring the underlying physics. Fine tuning of the emission characteristics through structural regulation is demonstrated by performing single-particle optical studies. This study opens a rich toolbox to tailor properties of quantum emitters, which can facilitate design guidelines for devices based on nitrogen-vacancy centres that use these freestanding hybrid nanostructures as building blocks.

Basic principles for rational design of high-performance nanostructured silicon-based thermoelectric materials.

PubMed

Yang, Chun Cheng; Li, Sean

2011-12-23

Recently, nanostructured silicon-based thermoelectric materials have drawn great attention owing to their excellent thermoelectric performance in the temperature range around 450 °C, which is eminently applicable for concentrated solar thermal technology. In this work, a unified nanothermodynamic model is developed to investigate the predominant factors that determine the lattice thermal conductivity of nanocrystalline, nanoporous, and nanostructured bulk Si. A systematic study shows that the thermoelectric performance of these materials can be substantially enhanced by the following three basic principles: 1) artificial manipulation and optimization of roughness with surface/interface patterning/engineering; 2) grain-size reduction with innovative fabrication techniques in a controllable fashion; and 3) optimization of material parameters, such as bulk solid-vapor transition entropy, bulk vibrational entropy, dimensionality, and porosity, to decrease the lattice thermal conductivity. These principles may be used to rationally design novel nanostructured Si-based thermoelectric materials for renewable energy applications. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Simultaneous synthesis and self-assembly of inorganic nanomaterials towards active and stable nanocatalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Zhou

The synthetic process in which the formation of nanoparticles and the self-assembly of those nanoparticles as building blocks are coupled together represents an efficient strategy towards stable nanostructures with relatively large geometric dimensions, well-defined shapes, structural hierarchicy and desirable porosities. In this dissertation, through employing appropriate soft/hard templates and controlling the reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, a series of novel physicochemical processes were developed to generate a wide variety of hierarchical 1D, 2D and 3D nanostructures with complex chemical compositions, structural integrities and/or porosities, which were then evaluated as electrocatalysts, heterogeneous catalysts and adsorbents. Based on the properties of their chemical compositions and potential applications, two types of inorganic nanostructures were obtained, including the noble metal-based nanostructures which could be employed as electrocatalysts and the Al-silicate-based hierarchical nanocomposites which could be used for preparation of supported nanocatalysts. The formation mechanisms underlying different processes are also well investigated.

Fabrication of complex nanoscale structures on various substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Kang-Soo; Hong, Sung-Hoon; Lee, Heon

2007-09-01

Polymer based complex nanoscale structures were fabricated and transferred to various substrates using reverse nanoimprint lithography. To facilitate the fabrication and transference of the large area of the nanostructured layer to the substrates, a water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol mold was used. After generation and transference of the nanostructured layer, the polyvinyl alcohol mold was removed by dissolving in water. A residue-free, UV-curable, glue layer was formulated and used to bond the nanostructured layer onto the substrates. As a result, nanometer scale patterned polymer layers were bonded to various substrates and three-dimensional nanostructures were also fabricated by stacking of the layers.

Study of low-velocity impact response of sandwich panels with shear-thickening gel cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yunpeng; Gong, Xinglong; Xuan, Shouhu

2018-06-01

The low-velocity impact response of sandwich panels with shear-thickening gel cores was studied. The impact tests indicated that the sandwich panels with shear-thickening gel cores showed excellent properties of energy dissipation and stress distribution. In comparison to the similar sandwich panels with chloroprene rubber cores and ethylene-propylene-diene monomer cores, the shear-thickening gel cores led to the obviously smaller contact forces and the larger energy absorptions. Numerical modelling with finite element analysis was used to investigate the stress distribution of the sandwich panels with shear-thickening gel cores and the results agreed well with the experimental results. Because of the unique mechanical property of the shear-thickening gel, the concentrated stress on the front facesheets were distributed to larger areas on the back facesheets and the peak stresses were reduced greatly.

Effect of low-dose gamma irradiation on Staphylococcus aureus and product packaging in ready-to-eat ham and cheese sandwiches.

PubMed

Lamb, Jennifer L; Gogley, Jennifer M; Thompson, M Jasmine; Solis, Daniel R; Sen, Sumit

2002-11-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen that causes foodborne illness. Traditional methods for controlling S. aureus do not address postprocess contamination. Low-dose gamma irradiation is effective in reducing pathogens in a variety of foods and may be effective in reducing S. aureus in ready-to-eat foods. The effects of gamma irradiation on product packaging should also be considered. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of gamna irradiation on product packaging and on S. aureus in ready-to-eat ham and cheese sandwiches. The effects of refrigerated storage on irradiated and nonirradiated sandwiches were also investigated. Ham and cheese sandwiches were inoculated with 10(6) or 10(7) CFU of S. aureus per g, frozen, irradiated, and analyzed by a standard plate count method. D10-values, the amount of irradiation needed to elicit a 1-log10 reduction of bacteria, were calculated. In addition, irradiated sandwiches were analyzed after 1, 13, 27, and 39 days of storage at 4 degrees C. The integrity of postirradiated packaging material was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Two experiments yielded D10-values of 0.62 and 0.63. During refrigerated storage, sandwiches irradiated with 5.9 kGy showed no S. aureus growth at any time; sandwiches irradiated with 3.85 kGy showed a 6.18-log reduction in S. aureus after 13 days; and nonirradiated sandwiches showed a 0.53-log increase in S. aureus after 39 days. FTIR spectroscopy showed that the label side and the bulge side were composed of polyethylene terephthalate and nylon 6, respectively. No significant change in the packaging due to irradiation was detected. In this study, low-dose gamma irradiation was shown to be an effective method for reducing S. aureus in ready-to-eat ham and cheese sandwiches and proved to be more efficacious than refrigeration alone. Additionally, package integrity was not adversely affected by gamma irradiation.

A Survey of Quality Assurance Practices in Nonmilitary Hospitals

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-01

160 ° ) Power (1600) Scrambled Egg (1450) Final Rinse (1900) SF Scrambled Egg (145) Rinse (190_) Broth ( 190) Hot Beverage (1850) 1 Juices (40-450...3 4 5 Barbecued beef sandwich 1 2 3 4 5 Egg & tuna salad sandwiches 1 2 3 4 5 Beef & noodle casserole 1 2 3 4 5 Grilled ham & cheese sandwich 1 2 3 4...5 Spaghetti & meat sauce 1 2 3 4 5 Grilled hamburger 1 2 3 4 5 Hot turkey sandwich 1 2 3 4 5 Swedish meatballs 1 2 3 4 5 Stuffed green pepper 1 2 3 4

Design Considerations for Thermally Insulating Structural Sandwich Panels for Hypersonic Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blosser, Max L.

2016-01-01

Simplified thermal/structural sizing equations were derived for the in-plane loading of a thermally insulating structural sandwich panel. Equations were developed for the strain in the inner and outer face sheets of a sandwich subjected to uniaxial mechanical loads and differences in face sheet temperatures. Simple equations describing situations with no viable solution were developed. Key design parameters, material properties, and design principles are identified. A numerical example illustrates using the equations for a preliminary feasibility assessment of various material combinations and an initial sizing for minimum mass of a sandwich panel.

Fast optical detecting media based on semiconductor nanostructures for recording images obtained using charges of free photocarriers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kasherininov, P. G., E-mail: peter.kasherininov@mail.ioffe.ru; Tomasov, A. A.; Beregulin, E. V.

2011-01-15

Available published data on the properties of optical recording media based on semiconductor structures are reviewed. The principles of operation, structure, parameters, and the range of application for optical recording media based on MIS structures formed of photorefractive crystals with a thick layer of insulator and MIS structures with a liquid crystal as the insulator (the MIS LC modulators), as well as the effect of optical bistability in semiconductor structures (semiconductor MIS structures with nanodimensionally thin insulator (TI) layer, M(TI)S nanostructures). Special attention is paid to recording media based on the M(TI)S nanostructures promising for fast processing of highly informativemore » images and to fabrication of optoelectronic correlators of images for noncoherent light.« less

Nanostructure symmetry: Relevance for physics and computing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dupertuis, Marc-André; Oberli, D. Y.; Karlsson, K. F.

2014-03-31

We review the research done in recent years in our group on the effects of nanostructure symmetry, and outline its relevance both for nanostructure physics and for computations of their electronic and optical properties. The exemples of C3v and C2v quantum dots are used. A number of surprises and non-trivial aspects are outlined, and a few symmetry-based tools for computing and analysis are shortly presented.

Fabrication of flexible silver nanowire conductive films and transmittance improvement based on moth-eye nanostructure array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chengpeng; Zhu, Yuwen; Yi, Peiyun; Peng, Linfa; Lai, Xinmin

2017-07-01

Transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) are widely used in optoelectronic devices, such as touch screens, liquid-crystal displays and light-emitting diodes. To date, the material of the most commonly used TCEs was indium-tin oxide (ITO), which had several intrinsic drawbacks that limited its applications in the long term, including relatively high material cost and brittleness. Silver nanowire (AgNW), as one of the alternative materials for ITO TCEs, has already gained much attention all over the world. In this paper, we reported a facile method to greatly enhance the transmittance of the AgNW TCEs without reducing the electrical conductivity based on moth-eye nanostructures, and the moth-eye nanostructures were fabricated by using a roll-to-roll ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography process. Besides, the effects of mechanical pressure and bending on the moth-eye nanostructure layer were also investigated. In the research, the optical transmittance of the flexible AgNW TCEs was enhanced from 81.3% to 86.0% by attaching moth-eye nanostructures onto the other side of the flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrate while the electrical conductivity of the AgNW TCEs was not sacrificed. This research can provide a direction for the cost-effective fabrication of moth-eye nanostructures and the transmittance improvement of the flexible transparent electrodes.

Modified pulse laser deposition of Ag nanostructure as intermediate for low temperature Cu-Cu bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ziyu; Cai, Jian; Wang, Qian; Liu, Lei; Zou, Guisheng

2018-07-01

To lower the Cu-Cu bonding temperature and save the time of the bonding process applied for 3D integration, the Ag nanostructure deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was designed and decorated on the Cu pads as intermediate. Influences of different PLD process parameters on the designed Ag nanostructure morphology were investigated in this work. The large nanoparticles (NP) defects, NPs coverage rate on the Cu pad, and NPs size distribution were adopted to evaluate the PLD parameters based on the NPs morphology observation and the Cu-Cu bonding quality. The medium laser power of 0.8 W, smaller distance between target and substrate, and protective container should be applied in the optimized PLD to obtain the Ag nanostructure. Then a loose 3D mesh Ag nanostructure consisted of the protrusions and grooves was formed and the morphology observation proved the nanostructure deposition mechanism was contributed to the block of nano-film nucleation and nanoparticles absorption. Finally, the relationship between the bonding temperature and pressure suitable for the Ag nanostructure had been determined based on shear strength and interface observation. The results revealed the combination of higher bonding temperature (250 °C) and lower pressure (20 MPa), or lower bonding temperature (180 °C) and higher pressure (50 MPa) can both achieve the bonding process with the short bonding time of 5 min and annealing at 200 °C for 25 min in vacuum furnace.

Sensitive and selective cataluminescence-based sensor system for acetone and diethyl ether determination.

PubMed

Wang, Qihui; Li, Bo; Wang, Yuhuai; Shou, Zhouxiang; Shi, Guolong

2015-05-01

A three-dimensional hierarchical CdO nanostructure with a novel bio-inspired morphology is reported. The field emission scanning electronic microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometer were employed to characterize the as-prepared samples. In gas-sensing measurements, acetone and diethyl ether were employed as target gases to investigate cataluminescence (CTL) sensing properties of the CdO nanostructure. The results show that the as-fabricated CdO nanostructure exhibited outstanding CTL properties such as stable intensity, high signal/noise values, short response and recovery time. The limit of detection of acetone and diethyl ether was ca. 6.5 ppm and 6.7 ppm, respectively, which was below the standard permitted concentrations. Additionally, a principal components analysis method was used to investigate the recognizable ability of the CTL sensor, and it was found that acetone and diethyl ether can be distinguished clearly. The performance of the bio-inspired CdO nanostructure-based sensor system suggested the promising application of the CdO nanostructure as a novel highly efficient CTL sensing material. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Simulation of the light emission properties of patterned metal-based nanostructures for ultra-high density optical storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Weijun; Zhu, Yaping; Luo, Jun; Peng, Sha; Lei, Yu; Tong, Qing; Zhang, Xinyu; Xie, Changsheng

2015-10-01

Current researches show that the surface plasmon-polariton modes (SPPMs) in metallic nanostructures can lead to a powerful localization of guided light signals, which is generally as small as a few nanometers and thus far beyond the diffraction limit of electromagnetic waves in dielectric media. In this paper, our attention is paid to the modeling and simulation of particular kinds of patterned metal-based nanostructure fabricated over several common wafers such as typical silicon dioxide. The nanostructures are designed for concentrating and delivering incident light energy into nanoscale regions. In our research, the factors, for instance, optical materials, patterned nano-structures, the distance arrangement between adjacent single nanopattern, and the frequency of incident electromagnetic wave, are taken as variables, and further the CST microwave studio is used to simulate optical behaviors of the devices developed by us. By comparing the transmittance and electric field intensity distribution in small area, the nano-light-emission effects are analyzed, and the conditions for obtaining near-field nanospots have been chosen.

Energy transfer within responsive pi-conjugated coassembled peptide-based nanostructures in aqueous environments

DOE PAGES

Ardona, Herdeline Ann M.; Tovar, John D.

2014-12-05

Energy transfer is demonstrated within a responsive donor–acceptor system which incorporates two different semiconducting units (oligo( p-phenylenevinylene and quaterthiophene) coassembled within peptide nanostructures in completely aqueous environments.

78 FR 52760 - Application(s) for Duty-Free Entry of Scientific Instruments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-26

... platforms based on self- assembled DNA nanostructures for studying cell biology. DNA nanostructures will be..., the Netherlands. Intended Use: The instrument will be used to observe and understand physical and...

Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) as Vehicles for Topical Administration of Sesamol: In Vitro Percutaneous Absorption Study and Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity.

PubMed

Puglia, Carmelo; Lauro, Maria Rosaria; Offerta, Alessia; Crascì, Lucia; Micicchè, Lucia; Panico, Anna Maria; Bonina, Francesco; Puglisi, Giovanni

2017-03-01

Sesamol is a natural phenolic compound extracted from Sesamum indicum seed oil. Sesamol is endowed with several beneficial effects, but its use as a topical agent is strongly compromised by unfavorable chemical-physical properties. Therefore, to improve its characteristics, the aim of the present work was the formulation of nanostructured lipid carriers as drug delivery systems for topical administration of sesamol.Two different nanostructured lipid carrier systems have been produced based on the same solid lipid (Compritol® 888 ATO) but in a mixture with two different kinds of oil phase such as Miglyol® 812 (nanostructured lipid carrier-M) and sesame oil (nanostructured lipid carrier-PLUS). Morphology and dimensional distribution of nanostructured lipid carriers have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and photon correlation spectroscopy, respectively. The release pattern of sesamol from nanostructured lipid carriers was evaluated in vitro determining drug percutaneous absorption through excised human skin. Furthermore, an oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay was used to determine their antioxidant activity.From the results obtained, the method used to formulate nanostructured lipid carriers led to a homogeneous dispersion of particles in a nanometric range. Sesamol has been encapsulated efficiently in both nanostructured lipid carriers, with higher encapsulation efficiency values (> 90 %) when sesame oil was used as the oil phase (nanostructured lipid carrier-PLUS). In vitro evidences show that nanostructured lipid carrier dispersions were able to control the rate of sesamol diffusion through the skin, with respect to the reference formulations.Furthermore, the oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay pointed out an interesting and prolonged antioxidant activity of sesamol, especially when vehiculated by nanostructured lipid carrier-PLUS. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Using SEM to Analyze Complex Survey Data: A Comparison between Design-Based Single-Level and Model-Based Multilevel Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Jiun-Yu; Kwok, Oi-man

2012-01-01

Both ad-hoc robust sandwich standard error estimators (design-based approach) and multilevel analysis (model-based approach) are commonly used for analyzing complex survey data with nonindependent observations. Although these 2 approaches perform equally well on analyzing complex survey data with equal between- and within-level model structures…

Development of sandwich-form biosensor to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in clinical sputum specimens.

PubMed

Shojaei, Taha Roodbar; Mohd Salleh, Mohamad Amran; Tabatabaei, Meisam; Ekrami, Alireza; Motallebi, Roya; Rahmani-Cherati, Tavoos; Hajalilou, Abdollah; Jorfi, Raheleh

2014-01-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causing agent of tuberculosis, comes second only after HIV on the list of infectious agents slaughtering many worldwide. Due to the limitations behind the conventional detection methods, it is therefore critical to develop new sensitive sensing systems capable of quick detection of the infectious agent. In the present study, the surface modified cadmium-telluride quantum dots and gold nanoparticles conjunct with two specific oligonucleotides against early secretory antigenic target 6 were used to develop a sandwich-form fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based biosensor to detect M. tuberculosis complex and differentiate M. tuberculosis and M. bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin simultaneously. The sensitivity and specificity of the newly developed biosensor were 94.2% and 86.6%, respectively, while the sensitivity and specificity of polymerase chain reaction and nested polymerase chain reaction were considerably lower, 74.2%, 73.3% and 82.8%, 80%, respectively. The detection limits of the sandwich-form fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based biosensor were far lower (10 fg) than those of the polymerase chain reaction and nested polymerase chain reaction (100 fg). Although the cost of the developed nanobiosensor was slightly higher than those of the polymerase chain reaction-based techniques, its unique advantages in terms of turnaround time, higher sensitivity and specificity, as well as a 10-fold lower detection limit would clearly recommend this test as a more appropriate and cost-effective tool for large scale operations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Detection of Glycoprotein Based on Boronate Affinity Sandwich Assay and Signal Amplification with Functionalized SiO2@Au Nanocomposites.

PubMed

You, Min; Yang, Shuai; Tang, Wanxin; Zhang, Fan; He, Pin-Gang

2017-04-26

Herein we propose a multiple signal amplification strategy designed for ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of glycoproteins. This approach introduces a new type of boronate-affinity sandwich assay (BASA), which was fabricated by using gold nanoparticles combined with reduced graphene oxide (AuNPs-GO) to modify sensing surface for accelerating electron transfer, the composite of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) including 4-vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA) for specific capturing glycoproteins, and SiO 2 nanoparticles carried gold nanoparticles (SiO 2 @Au) labeled with 6-ferrocenylhexanethiol (FcHT) and 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (MPBA) (SiO 2 @Au/FcHT/MPBA) as tracing tag for binding glycoprotein and generating electrochemical signal. As a sandwich-type sensing, the SiO 2 @Au/FcHT/MPBA was captured by glycoprotein on the surface of imprinting film for further electrochemical detection in 0.1 M PBS (pH 7.4). Using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as a model glycoprotein, the proposed approach exhibited a wide linear range from 1 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL, with a low detection limit of 0.57 pg/mL. To the best of our knowledge, this is first report of a multiple signal amplification approach based on boronate-affinity molecularly imprinted polymer and SiO 2 @Au/FcHT/MPBA, exhibiting greatly enhanced sensitivity for glycoprotein detection. Furthermore, the newly constructed BASA based glycoprotein sensor demonstrated HRP detection in real sample, such as human serum, suggesting its promising prospects in clinical diagnostics.

Development of a pH sensor using nanoporous nanostructures of NiO.

PubMed

Ibupoto, Z H; Khun, K; Willander, M

2014-09-01

Glass is the conventional material used in pH electrodes to monitor pH in various applications. However, the glass-based pH electrode has some limitations for particular applications. The glass sensor is limited in the use of in vivo biomedical, clinical or food applications because of the brittleness of glass, its large size, the difficulty in measuring small volumes and the absence of deformation (inflexibility). Nanostructure-based pH sensors are very sensitive, reliable, fast and applicable towards in vivo measurements. In this study, nanoporous NiO nanostructures are synthesized on a gold-coated glass substrate by a hydrothermal route using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a stabilizer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used for the morphological and crystalline studies. The grown NiO nanostructures are uniform and dense, and they possess good crystallinity. A pH sensor based on these NiO nanostructures was developed by testing the different pH values from 2-12 of phosphate buffered saline solution. The proposed pH sensor showed robust sensitivity of -43.74 ± 0.80 mV/pH and a quick response time of less than 10 s. Moreover, the repeatability, reproducibility and stability of the presented pH sensor were also studied.

Novel concept of washing for microfluidic paper-based analytical devices based on capillary force of paper substrates.

PubMed

Mohammadi, Saeed; Busa, Lori Shayne Alamo; Maeki, Masatoshi; Mohamadi, Reza M; Ishida, Akihiko; Tani, Hirofumi; Tokeshi, Manabu

2016-11-01

A novel washing technique for microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) that is based on the spontaneous capillary action of paper and eliminates unbound antigen and antibody in a sandwich immunoassay is reported. Liquids can flow through a porous medium (such as paper) in the absence of external pressure as a result of capillary action. Uniform results were achieved when washing a paper substrate in a PDMS holder which was integrated with a cartridge absorber acting as a porous medium. Our study demonstrated that applying this washing technique would allow μPADs to become the least expensive microfluidic device platform with high reproducibility and sensitivity. In a model μPAD assay that utilized this novel washing technique, C-reactive protein (CRP) was detected with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5 μg mL -1 . Graphical Abstract A novel washing technique for microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) that is based on the spontaneous capillary action of paper and eliminates unbound antigen and antibody in a sandwich immunoassay is reported.

Growth and characterization of nanostructured CuO films via CBD approach for oxygen gas sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurfazliana, M. F.; Sahdan, M. Z.; Saim, H.

2017-01-01

Nanostructured copper oxide (CuO) films were grown on portable IDE circuit silicon-based by low-cost chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique at three different deposition times (3 h, 5 h and 7 h). The effect of deposition times on the morphological, structural, optical and sensing properties of the nanostructured films were investigated. From the morphological and structural properties, the nanostructured film deposited at 5 h was found to have homogenous surface of CuO nanowhiskers and high crystallinity with tenorite phase compared to 3 h and 7 h films. Besides, there is no heat treatment required in order to produce CuO nanostructures film with tenorite phase. The sensing response (resistance changes) of as-synthesized films to concentration of oxygen (O2) gas also was compared. Film resistance of CuO nanostructures was studied in an environment of dry air loaded (gas sensor chamber) with 30 % of O2 gas. The results revealed that the deposition time causes significant effect on the sensing performance of nanostructured CuO to O2 gas.

Development of functional materials by using ultrafast laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimotsuma, Y.; Sakakura, M.; Miura, K.

2018-01-01

The polarization-dependent periodic nanostructures inside various materials are successfully induced by ultrafast laser pulses. The periodic nanostructures in various materials can be empirically classified into the following three types: (1) structural deficiency, (2) expanded structure, (3) partial phase separation. Such periodic nanostructures exhibited not only optical anisotropy but also intriguing electric, thermal, and magnetic properties. The formation mechanisms of the periodic nanostructure was interpreted in terms of the interaction between incident light field and the generated electron plasma. Furthermore, the fact that the periodic nanostructures in semiconductors could be formed empirically only if it is indirect bandgap semiconductor materials indicates the stress-dependence of bandgap structure and/or the recombination of the excited electrons are also involved to the nanostructure formation. More recently we have also confirmed that the periodic nanostructures in glass are related to whether a large amount of non-bridged oxygen is present. In the presentation, we demonstrate new possibilities for functionalization of common materials ranging from an eternal 5D optical storage, a polarization imaging, to a thermoelectric conversion, based on the indicated phenomena.

The effects on tensile, shear, and adhesive mechanical properties when recycled epoxy/fiberglass is used as an alternative for glass microballoons in fiberglass foam core sandwiches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Dru Matthew

The problem of this study was to determine whether fiberglass foam core sandwiches made with recycled epoxy/fiberglass have equal or better flatwise tension, shear, and peel (adhesion) mechanical properties when compared with composite sandwiches made with industry standard glass microballoons. Recycling epoxy/fiberglass could save money by: (1) reusing cured composite materials, (2) consuming less virgin composite materials, (3) spending less on transportation and disposing of unusable composites, and (4) possibly enabling companies to sell their recycled composite powder to other manufacturers. This study used three mechanical property tests, which included: flatwise tensile test, shear test, and peel (adhesion) test. Each test used 300 samples for a combined total of 900 sandwich test samples for this study. A factorial design with three independent variables was used. The first variable, filler type, had three levels: no filler, microballoon filler, and recycled epoxy/fiberglass filler. The second variable, foam density, had four levels: 3 lb/ft³, 4 lb/ft³, 5 lb/ft³, and 6 lb/ft³. The third variable, filler percentage ratio, had eight levels: 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70%. The results of this study revealed two primary conclusions. The first conclusion was that sandwich test panels produced with recycled epoxy/fiberglass powder were equal or significantly better in tensile, shear, and peel (adhesion) strength than sandwiches produced with hollow glass microballoons. The second conclusion was that sandwich test panels produced with recycled epoxy/fiberglass powder were equal or significantly lighter in weight than sandwiches produced with hollow glass microballoons.

The sandwich technique for repair of pectus carinatum and excavatum/carinatum complex

PubMed Central

Kim, Kyung Soo

2016-01-01

Background Simple external compression of pectus carinatum seems to have its limitations, particularly the repair of asymmetric pectus carinatum or excavatum/carinatum complex. We devised the sandwich technique (press-molding) to remodel the entire chest wall. The purpose of this study is to introduce the sandwich technique and appraise the early results. Methods Between January 2007 and January 2016, 523 consecutive patients with pectus carinatum and its variants were analyzed retrospectively. No patients were excluded during the study period. The sandwich 1 and 2 techniques using the internal and external pectus bars were for pectus carinatum repair. Modified techniques using the external string and the internal bar were to treat the lower costal flare (the flare-buster) and focal protuberances (the magic string) in pectus excavatum repair. Statistical analyses were carried out using paired and unpaired t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Results The sandwich repair with the external and internal bars was applied to 58 pectus carinatum patients: seven symmetric (12.1%), 14 asymmetric (24.1%), and 37 carinatum-excavatum complex (63.8%). After pectus excavatum repair, 426 patients had the flare-buster and 39 patients received the magic string. The sandwich 1 technique achieved near-complete resolution of carinatum in 52 patients (86.2%). The sandwich 2 technique accomplished almost symmetric configuration with no residual carinatum in all six cases. Conclusions The sandwich technique using the external and internal bars seems to be effective in treating asymmetric pectus carinatum and complex excavatum/carinatum deformities. The flare-buster and the magic string effectively relieve the costal flare and focal protuberances in pectus excavatum repair. PMID:27747176

Sensitive Detection of Protein and miRNA Cancer Biomarkers using Silicon-Based Photonic Crystals and A Resonance Coupling Laser Scanning Platform

PubMed Central

George, Sherine; Chaudhery, Vikram; Lu, Meng; Takagi, Miki; Amro, Nabil; Pokhriyal, Anusha; Tan, Yafang; Ferreira, Placid; Cunningham, Brian T.

2013-01-01

Enhancement of the fluorescent output of surface-based fluorescence assays by performing them upon nanostructured photonic crystal (PC) surfaces has been demonstrated to increase signal intensities by >8000×. Using the multiplicative effects of optical resonant coupling to the PC in increasing the electric field intensity experienced by fluorescent labels (“enhanced excitation”) and the spatially biased funneling of fluorophore emissions through coupling to PC resonances (“enhanced extraction”), PC enhanced fluorescence (PCEF) can be adapted to reduce the limits of detection of disease biomarker assays, and to reduce the size and cost of high sensitivity detection instrumentation. In this work, we demonstrate the first silicon-based PCEF detection platform for multiplexed biomarker assay. The sensor in this platform is a silicon-based PC structure, comprised of a SiO2 grating that is overcoated with a thin film of high refractive index TiO2 and is produced in a semiconductor foundry for low cost, uniform, and reproducible manufacturing. The compact detection instrument that completes this platform was designed to efficiently couples fluorescence excitation from a semiconductor laser to the resonant optical modes of the PC, resulting in elevated electric field strength that is highly concentrated within the region <100 nm from the PC surface. This instrument utilizes a cylindrically focused line to scan a microarray in <1 minute. To demonstrate the capabilities of this sensor-detector platform, microspot fluorescent sandwich immunoassays using secondary antibodies labeled with Cy5 for two cancer biomarkers (TNF-α and IL-3) were performed. Biomarkers were detected at concentrations as low as 0.1 pM. In a fluorescent microarray for detection of a breast cancer miRNA biomarker miR-21, the miRNA was detectable at a concentration of 0.6 pM. PMID:23963502

Doping-Based Stabilization of the M2 Phase in Free-Standing VO2 Nanostructures at Room Temperature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strelcov, Evgheni; Tselev, Alexander; Ivanov, Ilia N

2012-01-01

A new high-yield method of doping VO2 nanostructures with aluminum is proposed, which renders possible stabilization of the monoclinic M2 phase in free-standing nanoplatelets in ambient conditions and opens an opportunity for realization of a purely electronic Mott Transition Field-Effect Transistor without an accompanying structural transition. The synthesized free-standing M2-phase nanostructures are shown to have very high crystallinity and an extremely sharp temperature-driven metal-insulator transition. A combination of x-ray microdiffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and four-probe electrical measurements allowed thorough characterization of the doped nanostructures. Light is shed onto some aspects of the nanostructure growth, and the temperature-doping levelmore » phase diagram is established.« less

Ultra-tiny ZnMn2O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in sandwich-like carbon nanosheets for high-performance supercapacitors.

PubMed

Guan, Yongxin; Feng, Yangyang; Mu, Yanping; Fang, Ling; Zhang, Huijuan; Wang, Yu

2016-11-25

Known as an excellent energy storage material, ZnMn 2 O 4 has a wide range of applications in supercapacitors. In this report, a special sandwich-like structure of ZnMn 2 O 4 /C has been first designed and synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent calcinations. The designed special sandwich-like structure can benefit ion exchange and remit the probable volume changes during a mass of electrochemical reactions. Furthermore, the porous carbon nanosheets, derived from low-cost glucose, can effectively increase ion flux. Therefore, the novel sandwich-like ZnMn 2 O 4 nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon nanosheets can undoubtedly demonstrate an exceptional electrochemical performance for SCs. In this work, the composite material with porous sandwich-like structure exhibits excellent cyclic stability for 5000 cycles (∼5% loss) and high specific capacitance of 1786 F g -1 .

Ultra-tiny ZnMn2O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in sandwich-like carbon nanosheets for high-performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Yongxin; Feng, Yangyang; Mu, Yanping; Fang, Ling; Zhang, Huijuan; Wang, Yu

2016-11-01

Known as an excellent energy storage material, ZnMn2O4 has a wide range of applications in supercapacitors. In this report, a special sandwich-like structure of ZnMn2O4/C has been first designed and synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent calcinations. The designed special sandwich-like structure can benefit ion exchange and remit the probable volume changes during a mass of electrochemical reactions. Furthermore, the porous carbon nanosheets, derived from low-cost glucose, can effectively increase ion flux. Therefore, the novel sandwich-like ZnMn2O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon nanosheets can undoubtedly demonstrate an exceptional electrochemical performance for SCs. In this work, the composite material with porous sandwich-like structure exhibits excellent cyclic stability for 5000 cycles (˜5% loss) and high specific capacitance of 1786 F g-1.

Pulsed thermography detection of water and hydraulic oil intrusion in the honeycomb sandwich structure composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shi-bin; Zhang, Cun-lin; Wu, Nai-ming

2011-08-01

Water and hydraulic oil intrusion inside honeycomb sandwich Structure Composite during service has been linked to in-flight failure in some aircraft. There is an ongoing effort to develop nondestructive testing methods to detect the presence of water and hydraulic oil within the sandwich panels. Pulsed thermography(PT) represents an attractive approach in that it is sensitive to the change of thermal properties. Using a flash lamp PT, testing can be applied directly to the surface of the panel. The viability of PT is demonstrated through laboratory imaging of both water and hydraulic oil within sandwich panels. The detection of water and hydraulic oil intrusion using a one-sided flash lamp PT is presented. It is shown that simple detection, as well as spatial localization of water and hydraulic oil within sandwich panels, and assign the quantity of water and hydraulic oil is possible.

Experimental formability analysis of bondal sandwich sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kami, Abdolvahed; Banabic, Dorel

2018-05-01

Metal/polymer/metal sandwich sheets have recently attracted the interests of industries like automotive industry. These sandwich sheets have superior properties over single-layer metallic sheets including good sound and vibration damping and light weight. However, the formability of these sandwich sheets should be enhanced which requires more research. In this paper, the formability of Bondal sheet (DC06/viscoelastic polymer/DC06 sandwich sheet) was studied through different types of experiments. The mechanical properties of Bondal were determined by uniaxial tensile tests. Hemispherical punch stretching and hydraulic bulge tests were carried out to determine the forming limit diagram (FLD) of Bondal. Furthermore, cylindrical and square cup drawing tests were performed in dry and oil lubricated conditions. These tests were conducted at different blank holding forces (BHFs). An interesting observation about Bondal sheet deep drawing was obtaining of higher drawing depths at dry condition in comparison with oil-lubricated condition.

High performance sandwich structured Si thin film anodes with LiPON coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xinyi; Lang, Jialiang; Lv, Shasha; Li, Zhengcao

2018-06-01

The sandwich structured silicon thin film anodes with lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) coating are synthesized via the radio frequency magnetron sputtering method, whereas the thicknesses of both layers are in the nanometer range, i.e. between 50 and 200 nm. In this sandwich structure, the separator simultaneously functions as a flexible substrate, while the LiPON layer is regarded as a protective layer. This sandwich structure combines the advantages of flexible substrate, which can help silicon release the compressive stress, and the LiPON coating, which can provide a stable artificial solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) film on the electrode. As a result, the silicon anodes are protected well, and the cells exhibit high reversible capacity, excellent cycling stability and good rate capability. All the results demonstrate that this sandwich structure can be a promising option for high performance Si thin film lithium ion batteries.

High performance sandwich structured Si thin film anodes with LiPON coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xinyi; Lang, Jialiang; Lv, Shasha; Li, Zhengcao

2018-04-01

The sandwich structured silicon thin film anodes with lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) coating are synthesized via the radio frequency magnetron sputtering method, whereas the thicknesses of both layers are in the nanometer range, i.e. between 50 and 200 nm. In this sandwich structure, the separator simultaneously functions as a flexible substrate, while the LiPON layer is regarded as a protective layer. This sandwich structure combines the advantages of flexible substrate, which can help silicon release the compressive stress, and the LiPON coating, which can provide a stable artificial solidelectrolyte interphase (SEI) film on the electrode. As a result, the silicon anodes are protected well, and the cells exhibit high reversible capacity, excellent cycling stability and good rate capability. All the results demonstrate that this sandwich structure can be a promising option for high performance Si thin film lithium ion batteries.

Analysis of an Aircraft Honeycomb Sandwich Panel with Circular Face Sheet/Core Disbond Subjected to Ground-Air Pressurization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rinker, Martin; Krueger, Ronald; Ratcliffe, James

2013-01-01

The ground-air pressurization of lightweight honeycomb sandwich structures caused by alternating pressure differences between the enclosed air within the honeycomb core and the ambient environment is a well-known and controllable loading condition of aerospace structures. However, initial face sheet/core disbonds intensify the face sheet peeling effect of the internal pressure load significantly and can decrease the reliability of the sandwich structure drastically. Within this paper, a numerical parameter study was carried out to investigate the criticality of initial disbonds in honeycomb sandwich structures under ground-air pressurization. A fracture mechanics approach was used to evaluate the loading at the disbond front. In this case, the strain energy release rate was computed via the Virtual Crack Closure Technique. Special attention was paid to the pressure-deformation coupling which can decrease the pressure load within the disbonded sandwich section significantly when the structure is highly deformed.

Physics of SrTiO3-based heterostructures and nanostructures: a review.

PubMed

Pai, Yun-Yi; Tylan-Tyler, Anthony; Irvin, Patrick; Levy, Jeremy

2018-02-09

This review provides a summary of the rich physics expressed within SrTiO 3 -based heterostructures and nanostructures. The intended audience is researchers who are working in the field of oxides, but also those with different backgrounds (e.g., semiconductor nanostructures). After reviewing the relevant properties of SrTiO 3 itself, we will then discuss the basics of SrTiO 3 -based heterostructures, how they can be grown, and how devices are typically fabricated. Next, we will cover the physics of these heterostructures, including their phase diagram and coupling between the various degrees of freedom. Finally, we will review the rich landscape of quantum transport phenomena, as well as the devices that elicit them.

A Simple Method for Deriving the Confidence Regions for the Penalized Cox’s Model via the Minimand Perturbation†

PubMed Central

Lin, Chen-Yen; Halabi, Susan

2017-01-01

We propose a minimand perturbation method to derive the confidence regions for the regularized estimators for the Cox’s proportional hazards model. Although the regularized estimation procedure produces a more stable point estimate, it remains challenging to provide an interval estimator or an analytic variance estimator for the associated point estimate. Based on the sandwich formula, the current variance estimator provides a simple approximation, but its finite sample performance is not entirely satisfactory. Besides, the sandwich formula can only provide variance estimates for the non-zero coefficients. In this article, we present a generic description for the perturbation method and then introduce a computation algorithm using the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty. Through simulation studies, we demonstrate that our method can better approximate the limiting distribution of the adaptive LASSO estimator and produces more accurate inference compared with the sandwich formula. The simulation results also indicate the possibility of extending the applications to the adaptive elastic-net penalty. We further demonstrate our method using data from a phase III clinical trial in prostate cancer. PMID:29326496

A Simple Method for Deriving the Confidence Regions for the Penalized Cox's Model via the Minimand Perturbation.

PubMed

Lin, Chen-Yen; Halabi, Susan

2017-01-01

We propose a minimand perturbation method to derive the confidence regions for the regularized estimators for the Cox's proportional hazards model. Although the regularized estimation procedure produces a more stable point estimate, it remains challenging to provide an interval estimator or an analytic variance estimator for the associated point estimate. Based on the sandwich formula, the current variance estimator provides a simple approximation, but its finite sample performance is not entirely satisfactory. Besides, the sandwich formula can only provide variance estimates for the non-zero coefficients. In this article, we present a generic description for the perturbation method and then introduce a computation algorithm using the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty. Through simulation studies, we demonstrate that our method can better approximate the limiting distribution of the adaptive LASSO estimator and produces more accurate inference compared with the sandwich formula. The simulation results also indicate the possibility of extending the applications to the adaptive elastic-net penalty. We further demonstrate our method using data from a phase III clinical trial in prostate cancer.

Theoretical study on the dispersion curves of Lamb waves in piezoelectric-semiconductor sandwich plates GaAs-FGPM-AlAs: Legendre polynomial series expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Othmani, Cherif; Takali, Farid; Njeh, Anouar

2017-06-01

In this paper, the propagation of the Lamb waves in the GaAs-FGPM-AlAs sandwich plate is studied. Based on the orthogonal function, Legendre polynomial series expansion is applied along the thickness direction to obtain the Lamb dispersion curves. The convergence and accuracy of this polynomial method are discussed. In addition, the influences of the volume fraction p and thickness hFGPM of the FGPM middle layer on the Lamb dispersion curves are developed. The numerical results also show differences between the characteristics of Lamb dispersion curves in the sandwich plate for various gradient coefficients of the FGPM middle layer. In fact, if the volume fraction p increases the phase velocity will increases and the number of modes will decreases at a given frequency range. All the developments performed in this paper were implemented in Matlab software. The corresponding results presented in this work may have important applications in several industry areas and developing novel acoustic devices such as sensors, electromechanical transducers, actuators and filters.

High brightness, low coherence, digital holographic microscopy for 3D visualization of an in-vitro sandwiched biological sample.

PubMed

Abdelsalam, D G; Yasui, Takeshi

2017-05-01

We achieve practically a bright-field digital holographic microscopy (DHM) configuration free from coherent noise for three-dimensional (3D) visualization of an in-vitro sandwiched sarcomere sample. Visualization of such sandwiched samples by conventional atomic force microscope (AFM) is impossible, while visualization using DHM with long coherent lengths is challenging. The proposed configuration is comprised of an ultrashort pulse laser source and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in transmission. Periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal was used to convert the fundamental beam by second harmonic generation (SHG) to the generated beam fit to the CCD camera used. The experimental results show that the contrast of the reconstructed phase image is improved to a higher degree compared to a He-Ne laser based result. We attribute this improvement to two things: the feature of the femtosecond pulse light, which acts as a chopper for coherent noise suppression, and the fact that the variance of a coherent mode can be reduced by a factor of 9 due to low loss through a nonlinear medium.

Construction, expression, purification and biotin labeling of a single recombinant multi-epitope antigen for double-antigen sandwich ELISA to detect hepatitis C virus antibody.

PubMed

He, Jing; Xiu, Bingshui; Wang, Guohua; Chen, Kun; Feng, Xiaoyan; Song, Xiaoguo; Zhu, Cuixia; Yang, Xiqin; Bai, Guanzhong; Ling, Shigan; Zhang, Heqiu

2011-08-01

Based on B cell epitope predictions, a recombinant antigen with multiple epitopes from four Hepatitis C Virus fragments (C, NS3, NS4 and NS5) were engineered. The recombinant gene was then highly expressed in E. coli. The non-modified and C-terminal-modified recombinant proteins were used for coating and biotin labeling, respectively, to establish the double-antigen sandwich ELISA. Ten positive reference samples confirmed by the CHIRON RIBA HCV 3.0 SIA kit were detected positive, Forty one plasma samples were positive among samples from 441 volunteers, which indicated that the recombinant antigen could readily react well with plasma HCV antibody. As critical reagents of double-antigen sandwich ELISA, the recombinant multi-epitope antigen and the C-terminal-modified and biotin-conjugated antigen show good antigenicity. In this study, we provide a simple approach to produce multiple epitopes within one recombinant protein in order to avoid the costly expression of less-effective pools of multiple proteins, which is the conventional strategy of diagnostic antigen production for HCV antibody detection.

Achieving polydimethylsiloxane/carbon nanotube (PDMS/CNT) composites with extremely low dielectric loss and adjustable dielectric constant by sandwich structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Benhui; Liu, Yu; He, Delong; Bai, Jinbo

2018-01-01

Sandwich-structured composites of polydimethylsiloxane/carbon nanotube (PDMS/CNT) bulk between two neat PDMS thin films with different thicknesses are prepared by the spin-coating method. Taking advantage of CNT's percolation behavior, the composite keeps relatively high dielectric constant (ɛ' = 40) at a low frequency (at 100 Hz). Meanwhile, due to the existence of PDMS isolated out-layers which limits the conductivity of the composite, the composite maintains an extremely low dielectric loss (tan δ = 0.01) (at 100 Hz). Moreover, the same matrix of the out-layer and bulk can achieve excellent interfacial adhesion, and the thickness of the coating layer can be controlled by a multi-cycle way. Then, based on the experimental results, the calculation combining the percolation theory and core-shell model is used to analyze the thickness effect of the coating layer on ɛ'. The obtained relationship between the ɛ' of the composite and the thickness of the coating layer can help to optimize the sandwich structure in order to obtain the adjustable ɛ' and the extremely low tan δ.

Ordered three-dimensional interconnected nanoarchitectures in anodic porous alumina

PubMed Central

Martín, Jaime; Martín-González, Marisol; Fernández, Jose Francisco; Caballero-Calero, Olga

2014-01-01

Three-dimensional nanostructures combine properties of nanoscale materials with the advantages of being macro-sized pieces when the time comes to manipulate, measure their properties, or make a device. However, the amount of compounds with the ability to self-organize in ordered three-dimensional nanostructures is limited. Therefore, template-based fabrication strategies become the key approach towards three-dimensional nanostructures. Here we report the simple fabrication of a template based on anodic aluminum oxide, having a well-defined, ordered, tunable, homogeneous 3D nanotubular network in the sub 100 nm range. The three-dimensional templates are then employed to achieve three-dimensional, ordered nanowire-networks in Bi2Te3 and polystyrene. Lastly, we demonstrate the photonic crystal behavior of both the template and the polystyrene three-dimensional nanostructure. Our approach may establish the foundations for future high-throughput, cheap, photonic materials and devices made of simple commodity plastics, metals, and semiconductors. PMID:25342247

Effects of Silica Nanostructures in Poly(ethylene oxide)-Based Composite Polymer Electrolytes.

PubMed

Mohanta, Jagdeep; Anwar, Shahid; Si, Satyabrata

2016-06-01

The present work describes the synthesis of some poly(ethylene oxide)-based nanocomposite polymer electrolyte films using various silica nanostructures as the inorganic filler by simple solution mixing technique, in which the nature of the silica nanostructures play a vital role in modulating their electrochemical performances at room temperature. The silica nanostructures are prepared by ammonical hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate following the modified St6ber method. The resulting films are characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimeter to study their crystallinity. Room temperature AC impedance spectroscopy is utilized to determine the Li+ ion conductivity of the resulting films. The observed conductivity values of various NCPE films depend on the nature of silica filling as well as on their surface characteristics and also on the varying PEO-Li+ ratio, which is observed to be in the order of 10(-7)-10(-6) S cm(-1).

Physicochemical and Electrophysical Properties of Metal/Semiconductor Containing Nanostructured Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerasimov, G. N.; Gromov, V. F.; Trakhtenberg, L. I.

2018-06-01

The properties of nanostructured composites based on metal oxides and metal-polymer materials are analyzed, along with ways of preparing them. The effect the interaction between metal and semiconductor nanoparticles has on the conductivity, photoconductivity, catalytic activity, and magnetic, dielectric, and sensor properties of nanocomposites is discussed. It is shown that as a result of this interaction, a material can acquire properties that do not exist in systems of isolated particles. The transfer of electrons between metal particles of different sizes in polymeric matrices leads to specific dielectric losses, and to an increase in the rate and a change in the direction of chemical reactions catalyzed by these particles. The interaction between metal-oxide semiconductor particles results in the electronic and chemical sensitization of sensor effects in nanostructured composite materials. Studies on creating molecular machines (Brownian motors), devices for magnetic recording of information, and high-temperature superconductors based on nanostructured systems are reviewed.

Nanocrystalline sp{sup 2} and sp{sup 3} carbons: CVD synthesis and applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Terranova, M. L.; Rossi, M.; Tamburri, E., E-mail: emanuela.tamburri@uniroma2.it

The design and production of innovative materials based on nanocrystalline sp{sup 2}- and sp{sup 3}-coordinated carbons is presently a focus of the scientific community. We present a review of the nanostructures obtained in our labs using a series of synthetic routes, which make use of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques for the selective production of non-planar graphitic nanostructures, nanocrystalline diamonds, and hybrid two-phase nanostructures.

Zinc oxide nanostructures as low-cost templates for neuronal circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kritharidou, A.; Georgoussi, Z.; Tsamis, C.; Makarona, E.

2013-05-01

ZnO nanostructures were explored as templates for the development of topography-mediated neuronal cultures. Nanostructures of varying features were produced on 4" Si substrates via a rapid, facile and low-cost technique that allows the systematic investigation of nanotopographically-mediated formation of neuronal cultures. The developed ZnO-nanowire based templates were seeded with Neuro-2A mouse neuroblastoma cells and their viability over the course of 1 to 4 days was assessed. Our studies demonstrate that the ZnO-templates can support neuronal cell growth and proliferation suggesting that ZnO substrate can be used for the development of neuronal cell-based platform technologies.

DNA Nanotechnology for Cancer Therapy

PubMed Central

Kumar, Vinit; Palazzolo, Stefano; Bayda, Samer; Corona, Giuseppe; Toffoli, Giuseppe; Rizzolio, Flavio

2016-01-01

DNA nanotechnology is an emerging and exciting field, and represents a forefront frontier for the biomedical field. The specificity of the interactions between complementary base pairs makes DNA an incredible building material for programmable and very versatile two- and three-dimensional nanostructures called DNA origami. Here, we analyze the DNA origami and DNA-based nanostructures as a drug delivery system. Besides their physical-chemical nature, we dissect the critical factors such as stability, loading capability, release and immunocompatibility, which mainly limit in vivo applications. Special attention was dedicated to highlighting the boundaries to be overcome to bring DNA nanostructures closer to the bedside of patients. PMID:27022418

Nanostructure studies of strongly correlated materials.

PubMed

Wei, Jiang; Natelson, Douglas

2011-09-01

Strongly correlated materials exhibit an amazing variety of phenomena, including metal-insulator transitions, colossal magnetoresistance, and high temperature superconductivity, as strong electron-electron and electron-phonon couplings lead to competing correlated ground states. Recently, researchers have begun to apply nanostructure-based techniques to this class of materials, examining electronic transport properties on previously inaccessible length scales, and applying perturbations to drive systems out of equilibrium. We review progress in this area, particularly emphasizing work in transition metal oxides (Fe(3)O(4), VO(2)), manganites, and high temperature cuprate superconductors. We conclude that such nanostructure-based studies have strong potential to reveal new information about the rich physics at work in these materials.

Nanostructured Polypyrrole-Based Ammonia and Volatile Organic Compound Sensors

PubMed Central

Šetka, Milena; Drbohlavová, Jana; Hubálek, Jaromír

2017-01-01

The aim of this review is to summarize the recent progress in the fabrication of efficient nanostructured polymer-based sensors with special focus on polypyrrole. The correlation between physico-chemical parameters, mainly morphology of various polypyrrole nanostructures, and their sensitivity towards selected gas and volatile organic compounds (VOC) is provided. The different approaches of polypyrrole modification with other functional materials are also discussed. With respect to possible sensors application in medicine, namely in the diagnosis of diseases via the detection of volatile biomarkers from human breath, the sensor interaction with humidity is described as well. The major attention is paid to analytes such as ammonia and various alcohols. PMID:28287435

In-situ sulfuration synthesis of sandwiched spherical tin sulfide/sulfur-doped graphene composite with ultra-low sulfur content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Bing; Yang, Yaqing; Wang, Zhixuan; Huang, Shoushuang; Wang, Yanyan; Wang, Shanshan; Chen, Zhiwen; Jiang, Yong

2018-02-01

SnS is widely studied as anode materials since of its superior structural stability and physicochemical property comparing with other Sn-based composites. Nevertheless, the inconvenience of phase morphology control and excessive consumption of sulfur sources during synthesis hinder the scalable application of SnS nanocomposites. Herein, we report a facile in-situ sulfuration strategy to synthesize sandwiched spherical SnS/sulfur-doped graphene (SnS/S-SG) composite. An ultra-low sulfur content with approximately stoichiometric ratio of Sn:S can effectively promote the sulfuration reaction of SnO2 to SnS and simultaneous sulfur-doping of graphene. The as-prepared SnS/S-SG composite shows a three-dimensional interconnected spherical structure as a whole, in which SnS nanoparticles are sandwiched between the multilayers of graphene sheets forming a hollow sphere. The sandwiched sphere structure and high S doping amount can improve the binding force between SnS and graphene, as well as the structural stability and electrical conductivity of the composite. Thus, a high reversibility of conversion reaction, promising specific capacity (772 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 C) and excellent rate performance (705 and 411 mAh g-1 at 1 C and 10 C, respectively) are exhibited in the SnS/S-SG electrode, which are much higher than that of the SnS/spherical graphene synthesized by traditional post-sulfuration method.

Flexible freestanding sandwich type ZnO/rGO/ZnO electrode for wearable supercapacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghorbani, Mina; Golobostanfard, Mohammad Reza; Abdizadeh, Hossein

2017-10-01

The development of flexible supercapacitors with high energy and power density as one of the main components of wearable electronics is in an enormous interest. In this report, a unique flexible electrode based on freestanding sandwich type ZnO/rGO/ZnO paper is fabricated by a simple low cost sol-gel method for utilizing in flexible supercapacitor. ZnO layers are deposited on both sides of rGO paper which is prepared by a modified Hummer's method and evaporation induced assembly. The uniform and densely packed ZnO layers are formed on graphene oxide paper and the paper is simultaneously reduced. Structural analysis reveals the formation of ZnO thin films on both sides of rGO nanosheets, which leads to the sandwich architecture. Also, the effect of ZnO sol-gel process parameters on microstructure of sandwich paper are investigated and the most suitable condition for highest supercapacity performance is the solvent of 1-PrOH, stabilizer of TeA, sol concentration of 0.2 M, deposition speed of 30 mm min-1, and 10 deposited layers. The results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and cyclic voltammetry confirm that the incorporation of ZnO improves the capacitive performance of rGO electrode. Moreover, ZnO/rGO/ZnO flexible electrode exhibits suitable capacitance value of 60.63 F g-1 at scan rate of 5 mV/s.

Biophysical and electrochemical properties of Self-assembled noncovalent SWNT/DNA hybrid and electroactive nanostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzapoor, Aboulfazl; Ranjbar, Bijan

2017-09-01

DNA self-assembled hybrid nanostructures are widely used in recent research in nanobiotechnology. Combination of DNA with carbon based nanoparticles such as single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT), multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) and carbon quantum dot were applied in important biological applications. Many examples of biosensors, nanowires and nanoelectronic devices, nanomachine and drug delivery systems are fabricated by these hybrid nanostructures. In this study, a new hybrid nanostructure has been fabricated by noncovalent interactions between single or double stranded DNA and SWNT nanoparticles and biophysical properties of these structures were studied comparatively. Biophysical properties of hybrid nanostructures studied by circular dichroism, UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. Also, electrochemical properties studied by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, square wave voltammetry, choronoamperometry and impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results revealed that the biophysical and electrochemical properties of SWNT/DNA hybrid nanostructures were different compare to ss-DNA, ds-DNA and SWNT singly. Circular dichroism results showed that ss-DNA wrapped around the nanotubes through π-π stacking interactions. The results indicated that after adding SWNT to ss-DNA and ds-DNA intensity of CD and UV-vis spectrum peaks were decreased. Electrochemical experiments indicated that the modification of single-walled carbon nanotubes by ss-DNA improves the electron transfer rate of hybrid nanostructures. It was demonstrated SWNT/DNA hybrid nanostructures should be a good electroactive nanostructure that can be used for electrochemical detection or sensing.

Efficient preparation of graphene liquid cell utilizing direct transfer with large-area well-stitched graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Yuki; Kitaura, Ryo; Yuk, Jong Min; Zettl, Alex; Shinohara, Hisanori

2016-04-01

By utilizing graphene-sandwiched structures recently developed in this laboratory, we are able to visualize small droplets of liquids in nanometer scale. We have found that small water droplets as small as several tens of nanometers sandwiched by two single-layer graphene are frequently observed by TEM. Due to the electron beam irradiation during the TEM observation, these sandwiched droplets are frequently moving from one place to another and are subjected to create small bubbles inside. The synthesis of a large area single-domain graphene of high-quality is essential to prepare the graphene sandwiched cell which safely encapsulates the droplets in nanometer size.

The behavior of bonded doubler splices for composite sandwich panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeller, T. A.; Weisahaar, T. A.

1980-01-01

The results of an investigation into the behavior of adhesively bonded doubler splices of two composite material sandwich panels are presented. The splices are studied from three approaches: analytical; numerical (finite elements); and experimental. Several parameters that characterize the splice are developed to determine their influence upon joint strength. These parameters are: doubler overlap length; core stiffness; laminate bending stiffness; the size of the gap between the spliced sandwich panels; and room and elevated temperatures. Similarities and contrasts between these splices and the physically similar single and double lap joints are discussed. The results of this investigation suggest several possible approaches to improving the strength of the sandwich splices.

Hypervelocity Impact Performance of Open Cell Foam Core Sandwich Panel Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, Shannon; Christiansen, Eric; Lear, Dana

2009-01-01

Metallic foams are a relatively new class of materials with low density and novel physical, mechanical, thermal, electrical and acoustic properties. Although incompletely characterized, they offer comparable mechanical performance to traditional spacecraft structural materials (i.e. honeycomb sandwich panels) without detrimental through-thickness channeling cells. There are two competing types of metallic foams: open cell and closed cell. Open cell foams are considered the more promising technology due to their lower weight and higher degree of homogeneity. Leading micrometeoroid and orbital debris shields (MMOD) incorporate thin plates separated by a void space (i.e. Whipple shield). Inclusion of intermediate fabric layers, or multiple bumper plates have led to significant performance enhancements, yet these shields require additional non-ballistic mass for installation (fasteners, supports, etc.) that can consume up to 35% of the total shield weight [1]. Structural panels, such as open cell foam core sandwich panels, that are also capable of providing sufficient MMOD protection, represent a significant potential for increased efficiency in hypervelocity impact shielding from a systems perspective through a reduction in required non-ballistic mass. In this paper, the results of an extensive impact test program on aluminum foam core sandwich panels are reported. The effect of pore density, and core thickness on shielding performance have been evaluated over impact velocities ranging from 2.2 - 9.3 km/s at various angles. A number of additional tests on alternate sandwich panel configurations of comparable-weight have also been performed, including aluminum honeycomb sandwich panels (see Figure 1), Nomex honeycomb core sandwich panels, and 3D aluminum honeycomb sandwich panels. A total of 70 hypervelocity impact tests are reported, from which an empirical ballistic limit equation (BLE) has been derived. The BLE is in the standard form suitable for implementation in risk analysis software, and includes the effect of panel thickness, core density, and facesheet material properties. A comparison between the shielding performance of foam core sandwich panel structures and common MMOD shielding configurations is made for both conservative (additional 35% non-ballistic mass) and optimistic (additional mass equal to 30% of bumper mass) considerations. Suggestions to improve the shielding performance of foam core sandwich panels are made, including the use of outer mesh layers, intermediate fabric/composite layers, and varying pore density.

Gold coated metal nanostructures grown by glancing angle deposition and pulsed electroplating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grüner, Christoph; Reeck, Pascal; Jacobs, Paul-Philipp; Liedtke, Susann; Lotnyk, Andriy; Rauschenbach, Bernd

2018-05-01

Nickel based nanostructures are grown by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) on flat and pre-patterned substrates. These fabricated porous thin films were subsequently coated by pulsed electroplating with gold. The morphology and conformity of the gold coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Controlled growth of closed gold layers on the nanostructures could be achieved, while the open-pore structure of the nanosculptured thin films was preserved. Such gold coated nanostructures are a candidate for optical sensing and catalysis applications. The demonstrated method can be applied for numerous material combinations, allowing to provide GLAD thin films with new surface properties.

Mechanical design of DNA nanostructures.

PubMed

Castro, Carlos E; Su, Hai-Jun; Marras, Alexander E; Zhou, Lifeng; Johnson, Joshua

2015-04-14

Structural DNA nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field that has demonstrated great potential for applications such as single molecule sensing, drug delivery, and templating molecular components. As the applications of DNA nanotechnology expand, a consideration of their mechanical behavior is becoming essential to understand how these structures will respond to physical interactions. This review considers three major avenues of recent progress in this area: (1) measuring and designing mechanical properties of DNA nanostructures, (2) designing complex nanostructures based on imposed mechanical stresses, and (3) designing and controlling structurally dynamic nanostructures. This work has laid the foundation for mechanically active nanomachines that can generate, transmit, and respond to physical cues in molecular systems.

Rare-Earth-compound nanowires, nanotubes, and fullerene-like nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and properties.

PubMed

Wang, Xun; Li, Yadong

2003-11-21

Various low-dimensional nanostructures, such as nanowires, nanotubes, nanosheets, and fullerene-like nanoparticles have been selectively synthesized from rare-earth compounds (hydroxides, fluorides) based on a facile hydrothermal method. The subsequent dehydration, sulfidation, and fluoridation processes lead to the formation of rare-earth oxide, oxysulfide, and oxyhalide nanostructures, which can be functionalized further by doping with other rare-earth ions or by coating with metal nanoparticles. Owing to the interesting combination of novel nanostructures and functional compounds, these nanostructures can be expected to bring new opportunities in the vast research areas of and application in biology, catalysts, and optoelectronic devices.

A mixture toxicity approach to predict the toxicity of Ag decorated ZnO nanomaterials.

PubMed

Azevedo, S L; Holz, T; Rodrigues, J; Monteiro, T; Costa, F M; Soares, A M V M; Loureiro, S

2017-02-01

Nanotechnology is a rising field and nanomaterials can now be found in a vast variety of products with different chemical compositions, sizes and shapes. New nanostructures combining different nanomaterials are being developed due to their enhancing characteristics when compared to nanomaterials alone. In the present study, the toxicity of a nanostructure composed by a ZnO nanomaterial with Ag nanomaterials on its surface (designated as ZnO/Ag nanostructure) was assessed using the model-organism Daphnia magna and its toxicity predicted based on the toxicity of the single components (Zn and Ag). For that ZnO and Ag nanomaterials as single components, along with its mixture prepared in the laboratory, were compared in terms of toxicity to ZnO/Ag nanostructures. Toxicity was assessed by immobilization and reproduction tests. A mixture toxicity approach was carried out using as starting point the conceptual model of Concentration Addition. The laboratory mixture of both nanomaterials showed that toxicity was dependent on the doses of ZnO and Ag used (immobilization) or presented a synergistic pattern (reproduction). The ZnO/Ag nanostructure toxicity prediction, based on the percentage of individual components, showed an increase in toxicity when compared to the expected (immobilization) and dependent on the concentration used (reproduction). This study demonstrates that the toxicity of the prepared mixture of ZnO and Ag and of the ZnO/Ag nanostructure cannot be predicted based on the toxicity of their components, highlighting the importance of taking into account the interaction between nanomaterials when assessing hazard and risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Numerical simulation of the hole-flanging process for steel-polymer sandwich sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griesel, Dominic; Keller, Marco C.; Groche, Peter

2018-05-01

In light of increasing demand for lightweight structures, hybrid materials are frequently used in load-optimized parts. Sandwich structures like metal-polymer sandwich sheets provide equal bending stiffness as their monolithic counterparts at a drastically reduced weight. In addition, sandwich sheets have noise-damping properties, thus they are well-suited for a large variety of parts, e.g. façade and car body panels, but also load-carrying components. However, due to the creep tendency and low heat resistance of the polymer cores, conventional joining technologies are only applicable to a limited degree. Through hole-flanging it is possible to create branches in sandwich sheets to be used as reinforced joints. While it is state of the art for monolithic materials, hole-flanging of sandwich sheets has not been investigated yet. In order to simulate this process for different material combinations and tool geometries, an axisymmetric model has been developed in the FE software Abaqus/CAE. In the present paper, various modeling strategies for steel-polymer sandwich sheets are examined, including volume elements, shell elements and combinations thereof. Different methods for joining the distinct layers in the FE model are discussed. By comparison with CT scans and optical 3D measurements of experimentally produced hole-flanges, the feasibility of the presented models is evaluated. Although a good agreement of the numerical and experimental results has been achieved, it becomes clear that the classical forming limit diagram (FLD) does not adequately predict failure of the steel skins.

Failure Predictions of Out-of-Autoclave Sandwich Joints with Delaminations under Flexure Loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nordendale, Nikolas; Goyal, Vinay; Lundgren, Eric; Patel, Dhruv; Farrokh, Babak; Jones, Justin; Fischetti, Grace; Segal, Kenneth

2015-01-01

An analysis and a test program was conducted to investigate the damage tolerance of composite sandwich joints. The joints contained a single circular delamination between the face-sheet and the doubler. The coupons were fabricated through out-of-autoclave (OOA) processes, a technology NASA is investigating for joining large composite sections. The four-point bend flexure test was used to induce compression loading into the side of the joint where the delamination was placed. The compression side was chosen since it tends to be one of the most critical loads in launch vehicles. Autoclave cure was used to manufacture the composite sandwich sections, while the doubler was co-bonded onto the sandwich face-sheet using an OOA process after sandwich panels were cured. A building block approach was adopted to characterize the mechanical properties of the joint material, including the fracture toughness between the doubler and facesheet. Twelve four-point-bend samples were tested, six in the sandwich core ribbon orientation and six in sandwich core cross-ribbon direction. Analysis predicted failure initiation and propagation at the pre-delaminated location, consistent with experimental observations. A building block approach using fracture analyses methods predicted failure loads in close agreement with tests. This investigation demonstrated a small strength reduction due to a flaw of significant size compared to the width of the sample. Therefore, concerns of bonding an OOA material to an in-autoclave material was mitigated for the geometries, materials, and load configurations considered.

Failure Predictions of Out-of-Autoclave Sandwich Joints with Delaminations Under Flexure Loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nordendale, Nikolas A.; Goyal, Vinay K.; Lundgren, Eric C.; Patel, Dhruv N.; Farrokh, Babak; Jones, Justin; Fischetti, Grace; Segal, Kenneth N.

2015-01-01

An analysis and a test program was conducted to investigate the damage tolerance of composite sandwich joints. The joints contained a single circular delamination between the face-sheet and the doubler. The coupons were fabricated through out-of-autoclave (OOA) processes, a technology NASA is investigating for joining large composite sections. The four-point bend flexure test was used to induce compression loading into the side of the joint where the delamination was placed. The compression side was chosen since it tends to be one of the most critical loads in launch vehicles. Autoclave cure was used to manufacture the composite sandwich sections, while the doubler was co-bonded onto the sandwich face-sheet using an OOA process after sandwich panels were cured. A building block approach was adopted to characterize the mechanical properties of the joint material, including the fracture toughness between the doubler and face-sheet. Twelve four-point-bend samples were tested, six in the sandwich core ribbon orientation and six in sandwich core cross-ribbon direction. Analysis predicted failure initiation and propagation at the pre-delaminated location, consistent with experimental observations. A building block approach using fracture analyses methods predicted failure loads in close agreement with tests. This investigation demonstrated a small strength reduction due to a flaw of significant size compared to the width of the sample. Therefore, concerns of bonding an OOA material to an in-autoclave material was mitigated for the geometries, materials, and load configurations considered.

Failure Predictions of Out-of-Autoclave Sandwich Joints with Delaminations Under Flexure Loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nordendale, Nikolas; Goyal, Vinay; Lundgren, Eric; Patel, Dhruv; Farrokh, Babak; Jones, Justin; Fischetti, Grace; Segal, Kenneth

2015-01-01

An analysis and a test program was conducted to investigate the damage tolerance of composite sandwich joints. The joints contained a single circular delamination between the face-sheet and the doubler. The coupons were fabricated through out-of-autoclave (OOA) processes, a technology NASA is investigating for joining large composite sections. The four-point bend flexure test was used to induce compression loading into the side of the joint where the delamination was placed. The compression side was chosen since it tends to be one of the most critical loads in launch vehicles. Autoclave cure was used to manufacture the composite sandwich sections, while the doubler was co-bonded onto the sandwich face-sheet using an OOA process after sandwich panels were cured. A building block approach was adopted to characterize the mechanical properties of the joint material, including the fracture toughness between the doubler and face-sheet. Twelve four-point-bend samples were tested, six in the sandwich core ribbon orientation and six in sandwich core cross-ribbon direction. Analysis predicted failure initiation and propagation at the pre-delaminated location, consistent with experimental observations. Fracture analyses methods predicted failure loads in close agreement with tests. This investigation demonstrated a strength reduction of 10 percent due to a flaw of significant size compared to the width of the sample. Therefore, concerns of bonding an OOA material to an in-autoclave material was mitigated for the geometries, materials, and load configurations considered.

Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for naringin.

PubMed

Qu, Huihua; Wang, Xueqian; Qu, Baoping; Kong, Hui; Zhang, Yue; Shan, Wenchao; Cheng, Jinjun; Wang, Qingguo; Zhao, Yan

2016-01-15

Among the currently used immunoassay techniques, sandwich ELISA exhibits higher specificity, lower cross-reactivity, and a wider working range compared to the corresponding competitive assays. However, it is difficult to obtain a pair of antibodies that can simultaneously bind to two epitopes of a molecule with a molecular weight of less than 1000 Da. Naringin (Nar) is a flavonoid with a molecular mass of 580 Da. The main aim of this study was to develop a sandwich ELISA for detecting Nar. Two hybridomas secreting anti-Nar monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced by fusing splenocytes from a mouse immunised against Nar-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugated with a hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT)-sensitive mouse myeloma cell line; a sandwich ELISA for detecting Nar was developed using these two well-characterised anti-Nar mAbs. The performance of the sandwich assay was further evaluated by limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), recovery, and interference analyses. A dose-response curve to Nar was obtained with an LOD of 6.78 ng mL(-1) and an LOQ of 13.47 ng mL(-1). The inter-assay and intra-assay coefficients of variation were 4.32% and 7.48%, respectively. The recovery rate of Nar from concentrated Fructus aurantii granules was 83.63%. A high correlation was obtained between HPLC and sandwich ELISA. These results demonstrate that the sandwich ELISA method has higher specificity for Nar than indirect competitive ELISA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental Validation of the Transverse Shear Behavior of a Nomex Core for Sandwich Panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farooqi, M. I.; Nasir, M. A.; Ali, H. M.; Ali, Y.

2017-05-01

This work deals with determination of the transverse shear moduli of a Nomex® honeycomb core of sandwich panels. Their out-of-plane shear characteristics depend on the transverse shear moduli of the honeycomb core. These moduli were determined experimentally, numerically, and analytically. Numerical simulations were performed by using a unit cell model and three analytical approaches. Analytical calculations showed that two of the approaches provided reasonable predictions for the transverse shear modulus as compared with experimental results. However, the approach based upon the classical lamination theory showed large deviations from experimental data. Numerical simulations also showed a trend similar to that resulting from the analytical models.

Disparities in correlating microstructural to nanostructural preservation of dinosaur femoral bones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jung-Kyun; Kwon, Yong-Eun; Lee, Sang-Gil; Lee, Ji-Hyun; Kim, Jin-Gyu; Huh, Min; Lee, Eunji; Kim, Youn-Joong

2017-03-01

Osteohistological researches on dinosaurs are well documented, but descriptions of direct correlations between the bone microstructure and corresponding nanostructure are currently lacking. By applying correlative microscopy, we aimed to verify that well-preserved osteohistological features correlate with pristine fossil bone nanostructures from the femoral bones of Koreanosaurus boseongensis. The quality of nanostructural preservation was evaluated based on the preferred orientation level of apatite crystals obtained from selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns and by measuring the “arcs” from the {100} and {002} diffraction rings. Unlike our expectations, our results revealed that well-preserved microstructures do not guarantee pristine nanostructures and vice versa. Structural preservation of bone from macro- to nanoscale primarily depends on original bioapatite density, and subsequent taphonomical factors such as effects from burial, pressure, influx of external elements and the rate of diagenetic alteration of apatite crystals. Our findings suggest that the efficient application of SAED analysis opens the opportunity for comprehensive nanostructural investigations of bone.

Shockwave Consolidation of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, Narasimha S.; Taylor, Patrick; Nemir, David

2014-01-01

Nanotechnology based thermoelectric materials are considered attractive for developing highly efficient thermoelectric devices. Nano-structured thermoelectric materials are predicted to offer higher ZT over bulk materials by reducing thermal conductivity and increasing electrical conductivity. Consolidation of nano-structured powders into dense materials without losing nanostructure is essential towards practical device development. Using the gas atomization process, amorphous nano-structured powders were produced. Shockwave consolidation is accomplished by surrounding the nanopowder-containing tube with explosives and then detonating. The resulting shock wave causes rapid fusing of the powders without the melt and subsequent grain growth. We have been successful in generating consolidated nano-structured bismuth telluride alloy powders by using the shockwave technique. Using these consolidated materials, several types of thermoelectric power generating devices have been developed. Shockwave consolidation is anticipated to generate large quantities of nanostructred materials expeditiously and cost effectively. In this paper, the technique of shockwave consolidation will be presented followed by Seebeck Coefficient and thermal conductivity measurements of consolidated materials. Preliminary results indicate a substantial increase in electrical conductivity due to shockwave consolidation technique.

Lattice diffusion and vapor solid growths forming nanoarchitectures on ZnO nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sombrio, Guilherme; Rivaldo-Gómez, C. M.; Pomar, Cesar A. D.; Souza, Jose A.

2017-12-01

We report hierarchical nanoarchitectures formed on the tips and sidewalls of ZnO nanowires which is formed on the top of microtubes. The whole growth process of these micro/nanostructures during thermal oxidation combines lattice/grain/surface ionic diffusion along with vapor solid mechanism. All the process takes place along with the presence of an electric current, which plays an important role forming the ZnO molecules due to Zn metal evaporation and attracting them to condense into nanostructures of several morphologies. The observation of a very long needle-like nanowire reveals the stack nature of the growth. These nanoarchitectures are rarely observed experimentally. Raman scattering confirms phonon confinement in the nanostructures. Photoluminescence measurements indicate a route for engineering defects on the surface of ZnO microtubes after the complete coalescence of the nanostructures through heat treatment. This experiment would be useful for improving nanostructure organization which could provide an impact in the manufacturability of nanostructure-based systems.

Evidences For Charge Transfer-Induced Conformational Changes In Carbon Nanostructure-Protein Corona

PubMed Central

Podila, R.; Vedantam, P.; Ke, P. C.; Brown, J. M.; Rao, A. M.

2012-01-01

The binding of proteins to a nanostructure often alters protein secondary and tertiary structures. However, the main physical mechanisms that elicit protein conformational changes in the presence of the nanostructure have not yet been fully established. Here we performed a comprehensive spectroscopic study to probe the interactions between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and carbon-based nanostructures of graphene and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Our results showed that the BSA “corona” acted as a weak acceptor to facilitate charge transfer from the carbon nanostructures. Notably, we observed that charge transfer occurred only in the case of SWNTs but not in graphene, resulting from the sharp and discrete electronic density of states of the former. Furthermore, the relaxation of external α–helices in BSA secondary structure increased concomitantly with the charge transfer. These results may help guide controlled nanostructure-biomolecular interactions and prove beneficial for developing novel drug delivery systems, biomedical devices and engineering of safe nanomaterials. PMID:23243478

DNA Nanotechnology-Enabled Drug Delivery Systems.

PubMed

Hu, Qinqin; Li, Hua; Wang, Lihua; Gu, Hongzhou; Fan, Chunhai

2018-02-21

Over the past decade, we have seen rapid advances in applying nanotechnology in biomedical areas including bioimaging, biodetection, and drug delivery. As an emerging field, DNA nanotechnology offers simple yet powerful design techniques for self-assembly of nanostructures with unique advantages and high potential in enhancing drug targeting and reducing drug toxicity. Various sequence programming and optimization approaches have been developed to design DNA nanostructures with precisely engineered, controllable size, shape, surface chemistry, and function. Potent anticancer drug molecules, including Doxorubicin and CpG oligonucleotides, have been successfully loaded on DNA nanostructures to increase their cell uptake efficiency. These advances have implicated the bright future of DNA nanotechnology-enabled nanomedicine. In this review, we begin with the origin of DNA nanotechnology, followed by summarizing state-of-the-art strategies for the construction of DNA nanostructures and drug payloads delivered by DNA nanovehicles. Further, we discuss the cellular fates of DNA nanostructures as well as challenges and opportunities for DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery.

Supramolecular assembly of multifunctional maspin-mimetic nanostructures as a potent peptide-based angiogenesis inhibitor

DOE PAGES

Zha, R. Helen; Sur, Shantanu; Boekhoven, Job; ...

2014-11-08

Aberrant angiogenesis plays a large role in pathologies ranging from tumor growth to macular degeneration. Anti-angiogenic proteins have thus come under scrutiny as versatile, potent therapeutics but face problems with purification and tissue retention. We report here on the synthesis of supramolecular nanostructures that mimic the anti-angiogenic activity of maspin, a class II tumor suppressor protein. These maspin-mimetic nanostructures are formed via self-assembly of small peptide amphiphiles containing the g-helix motif of maspin. Using tubulogenesis assays with human umbilical vein endothelial cells, we demonstrate that maspin-mimetic nanostructures show anti-angiogenic activity at concentrations that are significantly lower than those necessary formore » the g-helix peptide. Furthermore, in vivo assays in the chick chorioallantoic membrane show maspin-mimetic nanostructures to be effective over controls at inhibiting angiogenesis. Thus, in conclusion, the nanostructures investigated here offer an attractive alternative to the use of anti-angiogenic recombinant proteins in the treatment of cancer or other diseases involving abnormal blood vessel formation.« less

Study of the phase composition of nanostructures produced by the local anodic oxidation of titanium films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Avilov, V. I.; Ageev, O. A.; Konoplev, B. G.

2016-05-15

The results of experimental studies of the phase composition of oxide nanostructures formed by the local anodic oxidation of a titanium thin film are reported. The data of the phase analysis of titanium-oxide nanostructures are obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the ion profiling mode of measurements. It is established that the surface of titanium-oxide nanostructures 4.5 ± 0.2 nm in height possesses a binding energy of core levels characteristic of TiO{sub 2} (458.4 eV). By analyzing the titanium-oxide nanostructures in depth by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the formation of phases with binding energies of core levels characteristic of Ti{sub 2}O{submore » 3} (456.6 eV) and TiO (454.8 eV) is established. The results can be used in developing the technological processes of the formation of a future electronic-component base for nanoelectronics on the basis of titanium-oxide nanostructures and probe nanotechnologies.« less

Soft Nanoimprint Lithography for Direct Printing of Crystalline Metal Oxide Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kothari, Rohit; Beaulieu, Michael; Watkins, James

2015-03-01

We demonstrate a solution-based soft nanoimprint lithography technique to directly print dimensionally-stable crystalline metal oxide nanostructures. A patterned PDMS stamp is used in combination with a UV/thermal cure step to imprint a resist containing high concentrations of crystalline nanoparticles in an inorganic/organic binder phase. The as-imprinted nanostructures are highly crystalline and therefore undergo little shrinkage (less than 5% in some cases) upon thermal annealing. High aspect ratio nanostructures and sub-100 nm features are easily realized. Residual layer free direct imprinting (no etching) was achieved by choosing the resist with the appropriate surface energy to ensure dewetting at stamp-substrate interface. The technique was further extended to stack the nanostructures by deploying a layer-by-layer imprint strategy. The method is scalable and can produce large area device quality nanostructures in a rapid fashion at a low cost. CeO2, ITO and TiO2 nanopatterns are illustrated for their potential use in fuel cell electrodes, solar cell electrodes and photonic devices, respectively.

Platinum-based electrocatalysts synthesized by depositing contiguous adlayers on carbon nanostructures

DOEpatents

Adzic, Radoslav R.; Harris, Alexander

2015-10-06

High-surface-area carbon nanostructures coated with a smooth and conformal submonolayer-to-multilayer thin metal films and their method of manufacture are described. The manufacturing process may involve initial oxidation of the carbon nanostructures followed by immersion in a solution with the desired pH to create negative surface dipoles. The nanostructures are subsequently immersed in an alkaline solution containing non-noble metal ions which adsorb at surface reaction sites. The metal ions are then reduced via chemical or electrical means and the nanostructures are exposed to a solution containing a salt of one or more noble metals which replace adsorbed non-noble surface metal atoms by galvanic displacement. Subsequent film growth may be performed via the initial quasi-underpotential deposition of a non-noble metal followed by immersion in a solution comprising a more noble metal. The resulting coated nanostructures may be used, for example, as high-performance electrodes in supercapacitors, batteries, or other electric storage devices.

Platinum-based electrocatalysts synthesized by depositing contiguous adlayers on carbon nanostructures

DOEpatents

Adzic, Radoslav; Harris, Alexander

2013-03-26

High-surface-area carbon nanostructures coated with a smooth and conformal submonolayer-to-multilayer thin metal films and their method of manufacture are described. The preferred manufacturing process involves the initial oxidation of the carbon nanostructures followed by immersion in a solution with the desired pH to create negative surface dipoles. The nanostructures are subsequently immersed in an alkaline solution containing non-noble metal ions which adsorb at surface reaction sites. The metal ions are then reduced via chemical or electrical means and the nanostructures are exposed to a solution containing a salt of one or more noble metals which replace adsorbed non-noble surface metal atoms by galvanic displacement. Subsequent film growth may be performed via the initial quasi-underpotential deposition of a non-noble metal followed by immersion in a solution comprising a more noble metal. The resulting coated nanostructures may be used, for example, as high-performance electrodes in supercapacitors, batteries, or other electric storage devices.

Homo-endotaxial one-dimensional Si nanostructures

DOE PAGES

Song, Jiaming; Hudak, Bethany M.; Sims, Hunter; ...

2017-11-29

One-dimensional (1D) nanostructures are highly sought after, both for their novel electronic properties as well as for their improved functionality. However, due to their nanoscale dimensions, these properties are significantly affected by the environment in which they are embedded. Here in this paper, we report on the creation of 1D homo-endotaxial Si nanostructures, i.e. 1D Si nanostructures with a lattice structure that is uniquely different from the Si diamond lattice in which they are embedded. We use scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, density functional theory, and conductive atomic force microscopy to elucidate their formation and properties.more » Depending on kinetic constraints during growth, they can be prepared as endotaxial 1D Si nanostructures completely embedded in crystalline Si, or underneath a stripe of amorphous Si containing a large concentration of Bi atoms. Lastly, these homo-endotaxial 1D Si nanostructures have the potential to be useful components in nanoelectronic devices based on the technologically mature Si platform.« less

Progress and prospects of GaN-based LEDs using nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Li-Xia; Yu, Zhi-Guo; Sun, Bo; Zhu, Shi-Chao; An, Ping-Bo; Yang, Chao; Liu, Lei; Wang, Jun-Xi; Li, Jin-Min

2015-06-01

Progress with GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) that incorporate nanostructures is reviewed, especially the recent achievements in our research group. Nano-patterned sapphire substrates have been used to grow an AlN template layer for deep-ultraviolet (DUV) LEDs. One efficient surface nano-texturing technology, hemisphere-cones-hybrid nanostructures, was employed to enhance the extraction efficiency of InGaN flip-chip LEDs. Hexagonal nanopyramid GaN-based LEDs have been fabricated and show electrically driven color modification and phosphor-free white light emission because of the linearly increased quantum well width and indium incorporation from the shell to the core. Based on the nanostructures, we have also fabricated surface plasmon-enhanced nanoporous GaN-based green LEDs using AAO membrane as a mask. Benefitting from the strong lateral SP coupling as well as good electrical protection by a passivation layer, the EL intensity of an SP-enhanced nanoporous LED was significantly enhanced by 380%. Furthermore, nanostructures have been used for the growth of GaN LEDs on amorphous substrates, the fabrication of stretchable LEDs, and for increasing the 3-dB modulation bandwidth for visible light communication. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61334009), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2015AA03A101 and 2014BAK02B08), China International Science and Technology Cooperation Program (Grant No. 2014DFG62280), the “Import Outstanding Technical Talent Plan” and “Youth Innovation Promotion Association Program” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Synthesis of hierarchical three-dimensional copper oxide nanostructures through a biomineralization-inspired approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, Xiang; Shao, Zhengzhong; Chen, Xin

2013-08-01

Three-dimensional (3D) copper oxide (CuO) nanostructures were synthesized in a regenerated Bombyx mori silk fibroin aqueous solution at room temperature. In the synthesis process, silk fibroin served as the template and helped to form the hierarchical CuO nanostructures by self-assembly. Cu(OH)2 nanowires were formed initially, and then they transformed into almond-like CuO nanostructures with branched edges and a compact middle. The size of the final CuO nanostructures can be tuned by varying the concentration of silk fibroin in the reaction system. A possible mechanism has been proposed based on various characterization techniques, such as scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The synthesized CuO nanostructured material has been evaluated as an anode material for lithium ion batteries, and the result showed that they had a good electrochemical performance. The straightforward energy-saving method developed in this research may provide a useful preparation strategy for other functional inorganic materials through an environmentally friendly process.Three-dimensional (3D) copper oxide (CuO) nanostructures were synthesized in a regenerated Bombyx mori silk fibroin aqueous solution at room temperature. In the synthesis process, silk fibroin served as the template and helped to form the hierarchical CuO nanostructures by self-assembly. Cu(OH)2 nanowires were formed initially, and then they transformed into almond-like CuO nanostructures with branched edges and a compact middle. The size of the final CuO nanostructures can be tuned by varying the concentration of silk fibroin in the reaction system. A possible mechanism has been proposed based on various characterization techniques, such as scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The synthesized CuO nanostructured material has been evaluated as an anode material for lithium ion batteries, and the result showed that they had a good electrochemical performance. The straightforward energy-saving method developed in this research may provide a useful preparation strategy for other functional inorganic materials through an environmentally friendly process. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: SEM image of the synthesized CuO without silk fibroin addition, and TEM images of the synthesized CuO with different silk fibroin concentrations. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr01872e

Emerging advances in nanomedicine with engineered gold nanostructures.

PubMed

Webb, Joseph A; Bardhan, Rizia

2014-03-07

Gold nanostructures possess unique characteristics that enable their use as contrast agents, as therapeutic entities, and as scaffolds to adhere functional molecules, therapeutic cargo, and targeting ligands. Due to their ease of synthesis, straightforward surface functionalization, and non-toxicity, gold nanostructures have emerged as powerful nanoagents for cancer detection and treatment. This comprehensive review summarizes the progress made in nanomedicine with gold nanostructures (1) as probes for various bioimaging techniques including dark-field, one-photon and two-photon fluorescence, photothermal optical coherence tomography, photoacoustic tomography, positron emission tomography, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering based imaging, (2) as therapeutic components for photothermal therapy, gene and drug delivery, and radiofrequency ablation, and (3) as a theranostic platform to simultaneously achieve both cancer detection and treatment. Distinct from other published reviews, this article also discusses the recent advances of gold nanostructures as contrast agents and therapeutic actuators for inflammatory diseases including atherosclerotic plaque and arthritis. For each of the topics discussed above, the fundamental principles and progress made in the past five years are discussed. The review concludes with a detailed future outlook discussing the challenges in using gold nanostructures, cellular trafficking, and translational considerations that are imperative for rapid clinical viability of plasmonic nanostructures, as well as the significance of emerging technologies such as Fano resonant gold nanostructures in nanomedicine.

Differences in Nanostructure and Hydrophobicity of Cicada (Cryptotympana atrata) Forewing Surface with the Distribution of Precipitation

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jiajing; Watson, Gregory S.; Watson, Jolanta A.; Han, Dong

2018-01-01

Although the cicada wing has a variety of functions and the nanostructure and surface properties of many species have been extensively investigated, there are no reports investigating diversity of nanostructures and wetting properties within a single species collected at locations with different rainfall conditions. In this study, the hydrophobicity and nanostructure dimensions of the forewing surface of Cryptotympana atrata were measured, based on specimens collected from 12 distributions with varying precipitation averages in China and Japan. The relationships among hydrophobicity, nanostructures, and precipitation were analyzed, and the adaption of hydrophobic nanostructures under different wet environments is discussed. The precipitation of locations in the years the samples of C. atrata were collected only has an effect on the diameter and spacing of wing surface nanostructure, and the multiple years of precipitation may have an influence on the basic diameter and spacing, as well as the height of protrusions. The rougher the wing surface, the stronger the hydrophobicity which was observed from samples taken where the rainfall conditions of the collection years are high. To our knowledge, this is one special example providing evidence of hydrophobic nanostructures found on a biological surface of a single species which shows adaption for specific wet environments. PMID:29849761

Broadband antireflective silicon nanostructures produced by spin-coated Ag nanoparticles

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

We report the fabrication of broadband antireflective silicon (Si) nanostructures fabricated using spin-coated silver (Ag) nanoparticles as an etch mask followed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching process. This fabrication technique is a simple, fast, cost-effective, and high-throughput method, making it highly suitable for mass production. Prior to the fabrication of Si nanostructures, theoretical investigations were carried out using a rigorous coupled-wave analysis method in order to determine the effects of variations in the geometrical features of Si nanostructures to obtain antireflection over a broad wavelength range. The Ag ink ratio and ICP etching conditions, which can affect the distribution, distance between the adjacent nanostructures, and height of the resulting Si nanostructures, were carefully adjusted to determine the optimal experimental conditions for obtaining desirable Si nanostructures for practical applications. The Si nanostructures fabricated using the optimal experimental conditions showed a very low average reflectance of 8.3%, which is much lower than that of bulk Si (36.8%), as well as a very low reflectance for a wide range of incident angles and different polarizations over a broad wavelength range of 300 to 1,100 nm. These results indicate that the fabrication technique is highly beneficial to produce antireflective structures for Si-based device applications requiring low light reflection. PMID:24484636

Emerging advances in nanomedicine with engineered gold nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, Joseph A.; Bardhan, Rizia

2014-02-01

Gold nanostructures possess unique characteristics that enable their use as contrast agents, as therapeutic entities, and as scaffolds to adhere functional molecules, therapeutic cargo, and targeting ligands. Due to their ease of synthesis, straightforward surface functionalization, and non-toxicity, gold nanostructures have emerged as powerful nanoagents for cancer detection and treatment. This comprehensive review summarizes the progress made in nanomedicine with gold nanostructures (1) as probes for various bioimaging techniques including dark-field, one-photon and two-photon fluorescence, photothermal optical coherence tomography, photoacoustic tomography, positron emission tomography, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering based imaging, (2) as therapeutic components for photothermal therapy, gene and drug delivery, and radiofrequency ablation, and (3) as a theranostic platform to simultaneously achieve both cancer detection and treatment. Distinct from other published reviews, this article also discusses the recent advances of gold nanostructures as contrast agents and therapeutic actuators for inflammatory diseases including atherosclerotic plaque and arthritis. For each of the topics discussed above, the fundamental principles and progress made in the past five years are discussed. The review concludes with a detailed future outlook discussing the challenges in using gold nanostructures, cellular trafficking, and translational considerations that are imperative for rapid clinical viability of plasmonic nanostructures, as well as the significance of emerging technologies such as Fano resonant gold nanostructures in nanomedicine.

Tapered Optical Fiber Probe Assembled with Plasmonic Nanostructures for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Application.

PubMed

Huang, Zhulin; Lei, Xing; Liu, Ye; Wang, Zhiwei; Wang, Xiujuan; Wang, Zhaoming; Mao, Qinghe; Meng, Guowen

2015-08-12

Optical fiber-Raman devices integrated with plasmonic nanostructures have promising potentials for in situ probing remote liquid samples and biological samples. In this system, the fiber probe is required to simultaneously demonstrate stable surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals and high sensitivity toward the target species. Here we demonstrate a generic approach to integrate presynthesized plasmonic nanostructures with tapered fiber probes that are prepared by a dipping-etching method, through reversed electrostatic attraction between the silane couple agent modified silica fiber probe and the nanostructures. Using this approach, both negatively and positively charged plasmonic nanostructures with various morphologies (such as Au nanosphere, Ag nanocube, Au nanorod, Au@Ag core-shell nanorod) can be stably assembled on the tapered silica fiber probes. Attributed to the electrostatic force between the plasmonic units and the fiber surface, the nanostructures do not disperse in liquid samples easily, making the relative standard deviation of SERS signals as low as 2% in analyte solution. Importantly, the detection sensitivity of the system can be optimized by adjusting the cone angle (from 3.6° to 22°) and the morphology of nanostructures assembled on the fiber. Thus, the nanostructures-sensitized optical fiber-Raman probes show great potentials in the applications of SERS-based environmental detection of liquid samples.

Advantages of bioconjugated silica-coated nanoparticles as an innovative diagnosis for human toxoplasmosis.

PubMed

Aly, Ibrahim; Taher, Eman E; El Nain, Gehan; El Sayed, Hoda; Mohammed, Faten A; Hamad, Rabab S; Bayoumy, Elsayed M

2018-01-01

Nanotechnology is a promising arena for generating new applications in Medicine. To successfully functionalised nanoparticles for a given biomedical application, a wide range of chemical, physical and biological factors have to be taken into account. Silica-coated nanoparticles, (SiO2NP) exhibit substantial diagnostic activity owing to their large surface to volume ratios and crystallographic surface structure. This work aimed to evaluate the advantage of bioconjugation of SiO2NP with PAb against Toxoplasma lyzate antigen (TLA) as an innovative diagnostic method for human toxoplasmosis. This cross-sectional study included 120 individuals, divided into Group I: 70 patients suspected for Toxoplasma gondii based on the presence of clinical manifestation. Group II: 30 patients harboring other parasites than T. gondii Group III: 20 apparently healthy individuals free from toxoplasmosis and other parasitic infections served as negative control. Detection of circulating Toxoplasma antigen was performed by Sandwich ELISA and Nano-sandwich ELISA on sera and pooled urine of human samples. Using Sandwich ELISA, 10 out of 70 suspected Toxoplasma-infected human serum samples showed false negative and 8 out of 30 of other parasites groups were false positive giving 85.7% sensitivity and 84.0% specificity, while the sensitivity and specificity were 78.6% and 70% respectively in urine samples. Using Nano-Sandwich ELISA, 7 out of 70 suspected Toxoplasma-infected human samples showed false negative results and the sensitivity of the assay was 90.0%, while 4 out of 30 of other parasites groups were false positive giving 92.0% specificity, while the sensitivity and specificity were 82.6% and 80% respectively in urine samples. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that loading SiO2 nanoparticles with pAb increased the sensitivity and specificity of Nano-sandwich ELISA for detection of T.gondii antigens in serum and urine samples, thus active (early) and light infections could be easily detected. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

(Poly)cation-induced protection of conventional and wireframe DNA origami nanostructures.

PubMed

Ahmadi, Yasaman; De Llano, Elisa; Barišić, Ivan

2018-04-26

DNA nanostructures hold immense potential to be used for biological and medical applications. However, they are extremely vulnerable towards salt depletion and nucleases, which are common under physiological conditions. In this contribution, we used chitosan and linear polyethyleneimine for coating and long-term stabilization of several three-dimensional DNA origami nanostructures. The impact of the degree of polymerization and the charge density of the polymer together with the N/P charge ratio (ratio of the amines in polycations to the phosphates in DNA) on the stability of encapsulated DNA origami nanostructures in the presence of nucleases and in low-salt media was examined. The polycation shells were compatible with enzyme- and aptamer-based functionalization of the DNA nanostructures. Additionally, we showed that despite being highly vulnerable to salt depletion and nucleolytic digestion, self-assembled DNA nanostructures are stable in cell culture media up to a week. This was contrary to unassembled DNA scaffolds that degraded in one hour, showing that placing DNA strands into a spatially designed configuration crucially affect the structural integrity. The stability of naked DNA nanostructures in cell culture was shown to be mediated by growth media. DNA origami nanostructures kept in growth media were significantly more resistant towards low-salt denaturation, DNase I and serum-mediated digestion than when in a conventional buffer. Moreover, we confirmed that DNA origami nanostructures remain not only structurally intact but also fully functional after exposure to cell media. Agarose gel electrophoresis and negative stain transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the hybridization of DNA origami nanostructures to their targets in the presence of serum proteins and nucleases. The structural integrity and functionality of DNA nanostructures in physiological fluids validate their use particularly for short-time biological applications in which the shape and structural details of DNA nanodevices are functionally critical.

Magnetron sputtering in the creation of photonic nanostructures derived from Sasakia Charonda Formosana-butterfly wings for applied in dye-sensitized solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Haihong; Zhou, Ru; Cheng, Cong; Zhang, Gonghai; Hu, Yu; Huang, Bin; Zhang, Shouwei; Shang, Xin; Xia, Mei; Xu, Jinzhang

2016-09-01

Creating new functional materials derived from the structures seen on butterfly wings has achieved interest in a variety of research topics. However, there need a concision approach could result in a high-quality, precise, and convenient process for the fabrication of complex nanostructures replication with unique functionalities based on the butterfly wings. Here we developed a pithy approach based on a magnetron sputtering metal Ti process for biotemplating used to refine hierarchically porous titanium dioxide photonic crystal nanostructures (TiO2sbnd PCN), themselves derived from nanostructures present on the wings of Sasakia Charonda Formosana (S. Charonda) butterflies. For the first time, the TiO2sbnd PCN were deposited on the top of the P25 active layer and were used to fabricate DSSCs as the light-scattering layers of photoanodes with power conversion efficiencies of up to 8.7%. Remarkably, a much enhanced photocurrent density and a prominent photoelectrochemical conversion capability have been achieved, which are exceeding most of the previously reported photoanodes as well as a similar butterflies replication-based device structure. Our study suggests many exciting opportunities of developing artificially engineered butterfly wing-based solar-to-fuel conversion.

Nucleic acid-based nanoengineering: novel structures for biomedical applications

PubMed Central

Li, Hanying; LaBean, Thomas H.; Leong, Kam W.

2011-01-01

Nanoengineering exploits the interactions of materials at the nanometre scale to create functional nanostructures. It relies on the precise organization of nanomaterials to achieve unique functionality. There are no interactions more elegant than those governing nucleic acids via Watson–Crick base-pairing rules. The infinite combinations of DNA/RNA base pairs and their remarkable molecular recognition capability can give rise to interesting nanostructures that are only limited by our imagination. Over the past years, creative assembly of nucleic acids has fashioned a plethora of two-dimensional and three-dimensional nanostructures with precisely controlled size, shape and spatial functionalization. These nanostructures have been precisely patterned with molecules, proteins and gold nanoparticles for the observation of chemical reactions at the single molecule level, activation of enzymatic cascade and novel modality of photonic detection, respectively. Recently, they have also been engineered to encapsulate and release bioactive agents in a stimulus-responsive manner for therapeutic applications. The future of nucleic acid-based nanoengineering is bright and exciting. In this review, we will discuss the strategies to control the assembly of nucleic acids and highlight the recent efforts to build functional nucleic acid nanodevices for nanomedicine. PMID:23050076

Micromechanical Properties of Nanostructured Clay-Oxide Multilayers Synthesized by Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly.

PubMed

Hou, Dongwei; Zhang, Guoping; Pant, Rohit Raj; Wei, Zhongxin; Shen, Shuilong

2016-11-08

Clay-based nanostructured multilayers, such as clay-polymer multilayers and clay-oxide multilayers, have attracted growing attention owing to their remarkable mechanical properties and promising application in various fields. In this paper, synthesis of a new kind of nanostructured clay-oxide multilayers by layer-by-layer self-assembly was explored. Nano-mechanical characterization of 18 clay-based multilayer samples, prepared under as-deposited (i.e., air-dried) and annealing conditions at 400 °C/600 °C with different precursor cations and multilayer structure, were carried out using nanoindentation testing, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The influencing factors, including as-deposited and annealing conditions and clay concentrations on the mechanical properties were analyzed. Results show that all of the multilayers exhibit high bonding strength between interlayers. Higher modulus and hardness of clay-based multilayers were obtained with lower clay concentrations than that with higher clay concentrations. Different relationships between the modulus and hardness and the annealing temperature exist for a specific type of clay-oxide multilayer. This work offers the basic and essential knowledge on design of clay-based nanostructured multilayers by layer-by-layer self-assembly.

Subwavelength core/shell cylindrical nanostructures for novel plasmonic and metamaterial devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyoung-Ho; No, You-Shin

2017-12-01

In this review, we introduce novel plasmonic and metamaterial devices based on one-dimensional subwavelength nanostructures with cylindrical symmetry. Individual single devices with semiconductor/metal core/shell or dielectric/metal core/multi-shell structures experience strong light-matter interaction and yield unique optical properties with a variety of functions, e.g., invisibility cloaking, super-scattering/super-absorption, enhanced luminescence and nonlinear optical activities, and deep subwavelength-scale optical waveguiding. We describe the rational design of core/shell cylindrical nanostructures and the proper choice of appropriate constituent materials, which allow the efficient manipulation of electromagnetic waves and help to overcome the limitations of conventional homogeneous nanostructures. The recent developments of bottom-up synthesis combined with the top-down fabrication technologies for the practical applications and the experimental realizations of 1D subwavelength core/shell nanostructure devices are briefly discussed.

Investigation on dielectrophoretic assembly of nanostructures and its application on chemical sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Quan

Because of their extraordinary characteristics such as quantum confinement and large surface-tovolume ratio, semiconducting nanostructures such as nanowires or nanotubes hold great potential in sensing chemical vapors. Nanowire or nanotube based gas sensors usually possess appealing advantages such as high sensitivity, high stability, fast recovery time, and electrically controllable properties. To better predict the composition and concentration of target gas, nanostructures made from heterogeneous materials are employed to provide more predictors. In recent years, nanowires and nanotubes can be synthesized routinely through different methods. The techniques of fabricating nanowire or nanotube based sensor arrays, however, encounter obstacles and deserve further investigations. Dielectrophoresis (DEP), which refers to the motion of submicron particles inside a non-uniform electric field, has long been recognized as a nondestructive, easily implementable, and efficient approach to manipulate nanostructures onto electronic circuitries. However, due to our limited understandings, devices fabricated through DEP often end up with unpredictable number of arbitrarily aligned nanostructures. In this study, we first optimize the classical DEP formulas such that it can be applied to a more general case that a nanostructure is subjected to a non-uniform electric field with arbitrary orientation. A comprehensive model is then constructed to investigate the trajectory and alignment of DEP assembled nanostructures, which can be verified by experimental observations. The simulation results assist us to fabricate a gas sensor array with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It is then demonstrated that the device can well sense ammonia (NH3) at room temperature, which circumvents the usually required high temperature condition for nanowire based gas sensor application. An effective approach to recover the device using DC biases to locally heat up the nanostructures is then proposed and implemented to accelerate the recovery process of the device without the requirement of heating up the whole device. As the sensors are characterized under different NH3 concentrations, the outputs are analyzed using regression methods to estimate the concentration of NH3. The quadratic model with the lasso is demonstrated to provide best performance for the collected data.

Investigation of the shape transferability of nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools in the diamond turning of nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xichun; Tong, Zhen; Liang, Yingchun

2014-12-01

In this article, the shape transferability of using nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools in the diamond turning for scale-up manufacturing of nanostructures has been demonstrated. Atomistic multi-tip diamond tool models were built with different tool geometries in terms of the difference in the tip cross-sectional shape, tip angle, and the feature of tool tip configuration, to determine their effect on the applied forces and the machined nano-groove geometries. The quality of machined nanostructures was characterized by the thickness of the deformed layers and the dimensional accuracy achieved. Simulation results show that diamond turning using nanoscale multi-tip tools offers tremendous shape transferability in machining nanostructures. Both periodic and non-periodic nano-grooves with different cross-sectional shapes can be successfully fabricated using the multi-tip tools. A hypothesis of minimum designed ratio of tool tip distance to tip base width (L/Wf) of the nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool for the high precision machining of nanostructures was proposed based on the analytical study of the quality of the nanostructures fabricated using different types of the multi-tip tools. Nanometric cutting trials using nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools (different in L/Wf) fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB) were then conducted to verify the hypothesis. The investigations done in this work imply the potential of using the nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool for the deterministic fabrication of period and non-periodic nanostructures, which opens up the feasibility of using the process as a versatile manufacturing technique in nanotechnology.

Tuning the field distribution and fabrication of an Al@ZnO core-shell nanostructure for a SPR-based fiber optic phenyl hydrazine sensor.

PubMed

Tabassum, Rana; Kaur, Parvinder; Gupta, Banshi D

2016-05-27

We report the fabrication and characterization of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based fiber optic sensor that uses coatings of silver and aluminum (Al)-zinc oxide (ZnO) core-shell nanostructure (Al@ZnO) for the detection of phenyl hydrazine (Ph-Hyd). To optimize the volume fraction (f) of Al in ZnO and the thickness of the core-shell nanostructure layer (d), the electric field intensity along the normal to the multilayer system is simulated using the two-dimensional multilayer matrix method. The Al@ZnO core-shell nanostructure is prepared using the laser ablation technique. Various probes are fabricated with different values of f and an optimized thickness of core-shell nanostructure for the characterization of the Ph-Hyd sensor. The performance of the Ph-Hyd sensor is evaluated in terms of sensitivity. It is found that the Ag/Al@ZnO nanostructure core-shell-coated SPR probe with f = 0.25 and d = 0.040 μm possesses the maximum sensitivity towards Ph-Hyd. These results are in agreement with the simulated ones obtained using electric field intensity. In addition, the performance of the proposed probe is compared with that of probes coated with (i) Al@ZnO nanocomposite, (ii) Al nanoparticles and (iii) ZnO nanoparticles. It is found that the probe coated with an Al@ZnO core-shell nanostructure shows the largest resonance wavelength shift. The detailed mechanism of the sensing (involving chemical reactions) is presented. The sensor also manifests optimum performance at pH 7.

First record of a banded Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) moving from England to the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spendelow, Jeffrey A.

2015-01-01

A Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis sandvicensis) banded as a chick in 2002 at Coquet Island off the northeast coast of Great Britain was observed at two locations on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, in August and September 2013. This is the first record of a banded Sandwich Tern from the United Kingdom being observed in the United States.

Sandwiches are major contributors of sodium in the diets of American adults: Results from What We Eat in America, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Efforts to sharpen the focus of sodium reduction strategies include identification of major food group contributors of sodium intake. Although sandwiches are a staple of the American diet, examinations of their contribution to sodium intake have been limited to “single-code” sandwiches. One day of...

Buckling coefficients for simply supported and camped flat, rectangular sandwich panels under edgewise compression

Treesearch

Edward W. Kuenzi; Charles B. Norris; Paul M. Jenkinson

1964-01-01

“This report presents curves of coefficients and formulas for use in calculating the buckling of flat panels of sandwich construction under edgewise compressive loads. The curves were derived for sandwich panels having one facing of either of two orthotropic materials, the other facing of an isotropic material; both facings of orthotropic material; both facings of...

Engineering of high performance supercapacitor electrode based on Fe-Ni/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-NiO core/shell hybrid nanostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, Ashutosh K., E-mail: ashuvishen@gmail.com, E-mail: aksingh@bose.res.in; Mandal, Kalyan

The present work reports on fabrication and supercapacitor applications of a core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-NiO hybrid nanostructures (HNs) electrode. The core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-NiO hybrid nanostructures have been fabricated through a two step method (nanowire fabrication and their controlled oxidation). The 1D hybrid nanostructure consists of highly porous shell layer (redox active materials NiO and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) and the conductive core (FeNi nanowire). Thus, the highly porous shell layer allows facile electrolyte diffusion as well as faster redox reaction kinetics; whereas the conductive FeNi nanowire core provides the proficient express way for electrons to travel to the current collector,more » which helps in the superior electrochemical performance. The core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-NiO hybrid nanostructures electrode based supercapacitor shows very good electrochemical performances in terms of high specific capacitance nearly 1415 F g{sup −1} at a current density of 2.5 A g{sup −1}, excellent cycling stability and rate capability. The high quality electrochemical performance of core/shell hybrid nanostructures electrode shows its potential as an alternative electrode for forthcoming supercapacitor devices.« less

Gold Nanostructures as a Platform for Combinational Therapy in Future Cancer Therapeutics

PubMed Central

Jelveh, Salomeh; Chithrani, Devika B.

2011-01-01

The field of nanotechnology is currently undergoing explosive development on many fronts. The technology is expected to generate innovations and play a critical role in cancer therapeutics. Among other nanoparticle (NP) systems, there has been tremendous progress made in the use of spherical gold NPs (GNPs), gold nanorods (GNRs), gold nanoshells (GNSs) and gold nanocages (GNCs) in cancer therapeutics. In treating cancer, radiation therapy and chemotherapy remain the most widely used treatment options and recent developments in cancer research show that the incorporation of gold nanostructures into these protocols has enhanced tumor cell killing. These nanostructures further provide strategies for better loading, targeting, and controlling the release of drugs to minimize the side effects of highly toxic anticancer drugs used in chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy. In addition, the heat generation capability of gold nanostructures upon exposure to UV or near infrared light is being used to damage tumor cells locally in photothermal therapy. Hence, gold nanostructures provide a versatile platform to integrate many therapeutic options leading to effective combinational therapy in the fight against cancer. In this review article, the recent progress in the development of gold-based NPs towards improved therapeutics will be discussed. A multifunctional platform based on gold nanostructures with targeting ligands, therapeutic molecules, and imaging contrast agents, holds an array of promising directions for cancer research. PMID:24212654

Surface Charge Transfer Doping via Transition Metal Oxides for Efficient p-Type Doping of II-VI Nanostructures.

PubMed

Xia, Feifei; Shao, Zhibin; He, Yuanyuan; Wang, Rongbin; Wu, Xiaofeng; Jiang, Tianhao; Duhm, Steffen; Zhao, Jianwei; Lee, Shuit-Tong; Jie, Jiansheng

2016-11-22

Wide band gap II-VI nanostructures are important building blocks for new-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, the difficulty of realizing p-type conductivity in these materials via conventional doping methods has severely handicapped the fabrication of p-n homojunctions and complementary circuits, which are the fundamental components for high-performance devices. Herein, by using first-principles density functional theory calculations, we demonstrated a simple yet efficient way to achieve controlled p-type doping on II-VI nanostructures via surface charge transfer doping (SCTD) using high work function transition metal oxides such as MoO 3 , WO 3 , CrO 3 , and V 2 O 5 as dopants. Our calculations revealed that these oxides were capable of drawing electrons from II-VI nanostructures, leading to accumulation of positive charges (holes injection) in the II-VI nanostructures. As a result, Fermi levels of the II-VI nanostructures were shifted toward the valence band regions after surface modifications, along with the large enhancement of work functions. In situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations verified the significant interfacial charge transfer between II-VI nanostructures and surface dopants. Both theoretical calculations and electrical transfer measurements on the II-VI nanostructure-based field-effect transistors clearly showed the p-type conductivity of the nanostructures after surface modifications. Strikingly, II-VI nanowires could undergo semiconductor-to-metal transition by further increasing the SCTD level. SCTD offers the possibility to create a variety of electronic and optoelectronic devices from the II-VI nanostructures via realization of complementary doping.

Composite Behavior of Insulated Concrete Sandwich Wall Panels Subjected to Wind Pressure and Suction.

PubMed

Choi, Insub; Kim, JunHee; Kim, Ho-Ryong

2015-03-19

A full-scale experimental test was conducted to analyze the composite behavior of insulated concrete sandwich wall panels (ICSWPs) subjected to wind pressure and suction. The experimental program was composed of three groups of ICSWP specimens, each with a different type of insulation and number of glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) shear grids. The degree of composite action of each specimen was analyzed according to the load direction, type of the insulation, and number of GFRP shear grids by comparing the theoretical and experimental values. The failure modes of the ICSWPs were compared to investigate the effect of bonds according to the load direction and type of insulation. Bonds based on insulation absorptiveness were effective to result in the composite behavior of ICSWP under positive loading tests only, while bonds based on insulation surface roughness were effective under both positive and negative loading tests. Therefore, the composite behavior based on surface roughness can be applied to the calculation of the design strength of ICSWPs with continuous GFRP shear connectors.

Analytical modeling of a sandwiched plate piezoelectric transformer-based acoustic-electric transmission channel.

PubMed

Lawry, Tristan J; Wilt, Kyle R; Scarton, Henry A; Saulnier, Gary J

2012-11-01

The linear propagation of electromagnetic and dilatational waves through a sandwiched plate piezoelectric transformer (SPPT)-based acoustic-electric transmission channel is modeled using the transfer matrix method with mixed-domain two-port ABCD parameters. This SPPT structure is of great interest because it has been explored in recent years as a mechanism for wireless transmission of electrical signals through solid metallic barriers using ultrasound. The model we present is developed to allow for accurate channel performance prediction while greatly reducing the computational complexity associated with 2- and 3-dimensional finite element analysis. As a result, the model primarily considers 1-dimensional wave propagation; however, approximate solutions for higher-dimensional phenomena (e.g., diffraction in the SPPT's metallic core layer) are also incorporated. The model is then assessed by comparing it to the measured wideband frequency response of a physical SPPT-based channel from our previous work. Very strong agreement between the modeled and measured data is observed, confirming the accuracy and utility of the presented model.

Acoustic Analysis of a Sandwich Non Metallic Panel for Roofs by FEM and Experimental Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieto, P. J. García; del Coz Díaz, J. J.; Vilán, J. A. Vilán; Rabanal, F. P. Alvarez

2007-12-01

In this paper we have studied the acoustic behavior of a sandwich non metallic panel for roofs by the finite element method (FEM). This new field of analysis is the fully coupled solution of fluid flows with structural interactions, commonly referred to as fluid-structure interaction (FSI). It is the natural next step to take in the simulation of mechanical systems. The finite element analysis of acoustic-fluid/structure interactions using potential-based or displacement-based Lagrangian formulations is now well established. The non-linearity is due to the `fluid-structure interaction' (FSI) that governs the problem. In a very considerable range of problems the fluid displacement remains small while interaction is substantial. In this category falls our problem, in which the structural motion influence and react with the generation of pressures in two reverberation rooms. The characteristic of acoustic insulation of the panel is calculated basing on the pressures for different frequencies and points in the transmission rooms. Finally the conclusions reached are shown.

Ambipolar Barristors for Reconfigurable Logic Circuits.

PubMed

Liu, Yuan; Zhang, Guo; Zhou, Hailong; Li, Zheng; Cheng, Rui; Xu, Yang; Gambin, Vincent; Huang, Yu; Duan, Xiangfeng

2017-03-08

Vertical heterostructures based on graphene have emerged as a unique architecture for novel electronic devices with unusual characteristics. Here we report a new design of vertical ambipolar barristors based on metal-graphene-silicon-graphene sandwich structure, using the bottom graphene as a gate-tunable "active contact", the top graphene as an adaptable Ohmic contact, and the low doping thin silicon layer as the switchable channel. Importantly, with finite density of states and weak screening effect of graphene, we demonstrate, for the first time, that both the carrier concentration and majority carrier type in the sandwiched silicon can be readily modulated by gate potential penetrating through graphene. It can thus enable a new type of ambipolar barristors with an ON-OFF ratio exceeding 10 3 . Significantly, these ambipolar barristors can be flexibly configured into either p-type or n-type transistors and used to create integrated circuits with reconfigurable logic functions. This unconventional device structure and ambipolar reconfigurable characteristics can open up exciting opportunities in future electronics based on graphene or two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures.

Stretchable and Photocatalytically Renewable Electrochemical Sensor Based on Sandwich Nanonetworks for Real-Time Monitoring of Cells.

PubMed

Wang, Ya-Wen; Liu, Yan-Ling; Xu, Jia-Quan; Qin, Yu; Huang, Wei-Hua

2018-05-15

Stretchable electrochemical (EC) sensors have broad prospects in real-time monitoring of living cells and tissues owing to their excellent elasticity and deformability. However, the redox reaction products and cell secretions are easily adsorbed on the electrode, resulting in sensor fouling and passivation. Herein, we developed a stretchable and photocatalytically renewable EC sensor based on Au nanotubes (NTs) and TiO 2 nanowires (NWs) sandwich nanonetworks. The external Au NTs are used for EC sensing, and internal TiO 2 NWs provide photocatalytic performance to degrade contaminants, which endows the sensor with excellent EC performance, high photocatalytic activity, and favorable mechanical tensile property. This allows highly sensitive recycling monitoring of NO released from endothelial cells and 5-HT released from mast cells under their stretching states in real time, therefore providing a promising tool to unravel elastic and mechanically sensitive cells, tissues, and organs.

Dipolar filtered magic-sandwich-echoes as a tool for probing molecular motions using time domain NMR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filgueiras, Jefferson G.; da Silva, Uilson B.; Paro, Giovanni; d'Eurydice, Marcel N.; Cobo, Márcio F.; deAzevedo, Eduardo R.

2017-12-01

We present a simple 1 H NMR approach for characterizing intermediate to fast regime molecular motions using 1 H time-domain NMR at low magnetic field. The method is based on a Goldmann Shen dipolar filter (DF) followed by a Mixed Magic Sandwich Echo (MSE). The dipolar filter suppresses the signals arising from molecular segments presenting sub kHz mobility, so only signals from mobile segments are detected. Thus, the temperature dependence of the signal intensities directly evidences the onset of molecular motions with rates higher than kHz. The DF-MSE signal intensity is described by an analytical function based on the Anderson Weiss theory, from where parameters related to the molecular motion (e.g. correlation times and activation energy) can be estimated when performing experiments as function of the temperature. Furthermore, we propose the use of the Tikhonov regularization for estimating the width of the distribution of correlation times.

Electrical, Elastic, and Piezoresistive Properties of Nanocomposites of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) and Poly(phenylmethylsiloxane)-Functionalized Graphene Nanoplatelets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Biao; Li, Buyin; Jiang, Shenglin

2017-10-01

High-performance piezoresistive materials can detect pressures in the finger-sensing regime (0 kPa to 100 kPa). Piezoresistive nanocomposites of poly(phenylmethylsiloxane) (PPMS)-functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (P-GNPs) as conductive filler and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as polymer matrix have been prepared and their electrical, elastic, and piezoresistive properties investigated. GNPs were π-π stacked with PPMS by noncovalent functionalization, and P-GNPs/PDMS nanocomposites were prepared by solution casting. The results showed that P-GNPs with sandwiched nanostructures (PPMS/GNPs/PPMS) exhibited improved dispersibility and compatibility in the PDMS matrix. Compared with GNPs/PDMS nanocomposites, low percolation threshold (2.96 vol.%) was obtained for the P-GNPs/PDMS nanocomposites. P-GNPs/PDMS nanocomposite with 3.00 vol.% P-GNPs showed remarkable negative piezoresistivity with high sensitivity of -105.22 × 10-3 kPa-1 (0 kPa to 10 kPa), low Young's modulus of 408.26 kPa, and high electrical conductivity of 1.28 × 10-6 S/m. These results demonstrate a simple and low-cost method for preparation of high-performance nanocomposites and facilitate wide application of such piezoresistive materials, especially in cheap and flexible tactile sensors.

Plasmonic nanostructures for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Ruiqian

In the last three decades, a large number of different plasmonic nanostructures have attracted much attention due to their unique optical properties. Those plasmonic nanostructures include nanoparticles, nanoholes and metal nanovoids. They have been widely utilized in optical devices and sensors. When the plasmonic nanostructures interact with the electromagnetic wave and their surface plasmon frequency match with the light frequency, the electrons in plasmonic nanostructures will resonate with the same oscillation as incident light. In this case, the plasmonic nanostructures can absorb light and enhance the light scattering. Therefore, the plasmonic nanostructures can be used as substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to enhance the Raman signal. Using plasmonic nanostructures can significantly enhance Raman scattering of molecules with very low concentrations. In this thesis, two different plasmonic nanostructures Ag dendrites and Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles are investigated. Simple methods were used to produce these two plasmonic nanostructures. Then, their applications in surface enhanced Raman scattering have been explored. Ag dendrites were produced by galvanic replacement reaction, which was conducted using Ag nitrate aqueous solution and copper metal. Metal copper layer was deposited at the bottom side of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane. Silver wires formed inside AAO channels connected Ag nitrate on the top of AAO membrane and copper layer at the bottom side of AAO. Silver dendrites were formed on the top side of AAO. The second plasmonic nanostructure is Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles. They were fabricated by electroless plating (galvanic replacement) reaction in a silver plating solution. First, electrochemically evolved hydrogen bubbles were used as template through electroless deposition to produce hollow Au nanoparticles. Then, the Au nanoparticles were coated with Cu shells in a Cu plating solution. In the following step, a AgCN based plating solution was used to replace Cu shell to form Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles. These two plasmonic nanostructures were tested as substrates for Raman spectroscopy. It demonstrated that these plasmonic nanostructures could enhance Raman signal from the molecules on their surface. The results indicate that these plasmonic nanostructures could be utilized in many fields, such as such as biological and environmental sensors.