Aqueous gold nanoparticle dispersion was synthesized by chemical reduction method using diethanolamine as reducing agent and polyethyleneimine as dispersion stabilizer. The synthesis conditions for the stable dispersion of the gold nanoparticle suspension were determined by changing the amount of the reducing agent and dispersant during the wet chemical synthesis procedures. The face centered cubic lattice structure of the gold nanoparticles was confirmed by using X-ray diffraction and the morphologies of the nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscope. The synthesized gold nanoparticle dispersion was concentrated by evaporating the dispersion medium at room temperature followed by the addition of ethyleneglycol as humectant for the increase of the elastic properties to obtain gold nanoparticle inks for direct ink writing process. The line patterns were obtained with the gold nanoparticle inks during the writing procedures and the morphologies of the fine patterns were observed by scanning electron microscope.

We investigate how plasma structures in the solar chromosphere and corona can extend to altitudes much above hydrostatic scale heights from the solar surface even under the force of gravity. Using a simple modified form of equation of motion in the vertical direction, we argue that there are two extreme ways of non-hydrostatic support: dynamical support and magnetic support. If the vertical acceleration is downward and its magnitude is a significant fraction of gravitational acceleration, non-hydrostatic support is dynamical in nature. Otherwise non-hydrostatic support is static, and magnetic support by horizontal magnetic fields is the only other possibility. We describe what kind of observations are needed in the clarification of the nature of non-hydrostatic support. Observations available so far seem to indicate that spicules in the quiet regions and dynamic fibrils in active regions are dynamically supported whereas the general chromosphere as well as prorninences is magnetically supported. Moreover, it appears that magnetic support is required for plasma in some coronal loops as well. We suspect that the identification of a coronal loop with a simple magnetic flux tube might be wrong in this regard.

We have investigated the optical properties of the global haze on Titan from spectra recorded between 7100 and 9200Åwhere CH4 absorption bands of various intensities occur. The Titan spectra were obtained on Feb. 23, 2005 (UT), near the times of the Cassini T3 flyby and Huygens probe, using an optical echelle spectrograph (BOES) on the 1.8-m telescope at Bohyunsan Observatory in Korea. In order to derive the optical properties of the haze as a function of altitude, we developed an inversion radiative-transfer program using an atmospheric model of Titan and laboratory CH4 absorption coefficients available from the literature. The derived extinction coefficients of the haze increase toward the surface, and the coefficients at shorter wavelengths are greater than those at longer wavelengths for the 30 - 120 km altitude range, indicating that the Titanian haze becomes optically thin toward the longer wavelength range. Total optical depths of the haze are estimated to be 1.4 and 1.2 for the 7270 -7360Åand 8940 -9150Å ranges, respectively. Based on the Huygens/DISR data set, Tomasko et al. (2005) reported total optical depths of 2.5 - 3.5 at 8290Å depending on the assumed fractal aggregate particle model. The total optical depths based on our results are smaller than those of Tomasko et al., but they partially overlap with their results if we consider a large uncertainty from possible variations of the CH4 mixing ratio over Titan's disk. We also derived the single scattering albedo of the haze particles as a function of altitude: it is less than 0.5 at altitudes higher than ~150Km the average particle radius is smaller than the wavelengths, whereas near the surface, it becomes comparable or greater.