One-dimensional MgO nanostructures with various morphologies were synthesized by a thermal evaporation method. The synthesis process was carried out in air at atmospheric pressure, which made the process very simple. A mixed powder of magnesium and active carbon was used as the source powder. The morphologies of the MgO nanostructures were changed by varying the growth temperature. When the growth temperature was 700 °C, untapered nanowires with smooth surfaces were grown. As the temperature increased to 850 °C, 1,000 °C and 1,100 °C, tapered nanobelts, tapered nanowires and then knotted nanowires were sequentially observed. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the MgO nanostructures had a cubic crystallographic structure. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis showed that the nanostructures were composed of Mg and O elements, indicating high purity MgO nanostructures. Fourier transform infrared spectra peaks showed the characteristic absorption of MgO. No catalyst particles were observed at the tips of the one-dimensional nanostructures, which suggested that the one-dimensional nanostructures were grown in a vapor-solid growth mechanism.

The research on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is in the advanced stage today. The only concern observed so far has been regarding its stability and efficiency. Its power conversion efficiency can be increased by incorporating various methods and materials based on nanotechnology. Several attempts have been employed to develop advanced methods for eco-friendly, commercially viable, and sustainable DSSCs to minimize the energy crisis in the future. Photoanode is one of the essential components of DSSCs that can be modified using different nanostructures to enhance its efficiency. The TiO2 nanoparticlebased photoanode with gold and silver has proven to be potent materials for getting efficient DSSCs. The plasmonic and quantum confinement effects also play a vital role in efficiency enhancement. In this review, we discuss numerous attempts made by researchers in the last decade to modify the photoanode and their progress. We also look at different types of nanostructures, such as quantum dots, metal oxide doping, layered structures, nanocomposites, and thin film formation, that improve the efficiency of DSSCs. Several methods were reviewed to modify photoanodes to optimize electron transportation, light scattering, trapping power, surface area, and reduce charge recombination. The trend in the efficiency enhancement of DSSCs using TiO2, Au, ZnO, Ag, and graphene nanostructures-based photoanodes have been explored in great detail.

The conversion of CO2 into solar fuels by photocatalysis is a promising way to deal with the energy crisis and the greenhouse effect. The introduction of oxygen vacancy into semiconductor has been proved to be an effective strategy for enhancing CO2 photoreduction performance. Herein, TiO2- x nanostructures have been prepared by a simple solvothermal method and engineered by the reaction time. With the prolonging of reaction time, the oxygen vacancy signal gradually increases while the band gap becomes narrow for the as-synthesized TiO2- x nanostructures. The results show that the TiO2- x-6 h, TiO2- x-24 h, and TiO2- x-48 h samples have the main product of CH4 (more) and CO (less) for CO2 photoreduction. Among the three oxygen vacancy photocatalysts, the TiO2- x-24 h sample shows the highest CH4 generation rate of 41.8 μmol g− 1 h− 1. On the basis of photo/electrochemical measurements, the TiO2- x-24 h sample exhibits efficient electron–hole separation and charge transfer capabilities, thus allows much more electrons to participate in the reaction and finally promotes the photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction. It further confirms that the optimization of oxygen vacancy concentration could facilitate the photoinduced charge separation and accordingly improve photocatalytic CO2 conversion.

목적 : 온도감응성 나노구조체를 제조하고 이를 적용하여, 보관시에는 항생제가 용출되지 않고, 안구착용시에 만 온도감응성으로 항생제를 용출하는 스마트 콘택트렌즈를 제조하고자 한다. 방법 : 에멀젼중합하여 p(NIPAAm)-기반의 나노구조체를 합성하였고, 이를 샌드위치 공법을 통해 콘택트렌즈 에 도입하였다. Soaking 방법을 통해 항생제인 levofloxacin(LVF)를 콘택트렌즈에 탑재하여 온도에 따라 항생제 용출 특성을 분석하였다. 결과 : sodium n-dodecyl sulfate (SDS) 마이셀 템플레이트를 활용한 에멀젼중합을 통해 20-40 nm 크기의 온도감응형 p(NIPAAm)-기반의 나노구조체를 합성하였고 이는 TEM과 입도분석기를 통해 확인하였다. 샌드위치 공법을 통해 콘택트렌즈에 나노구조체를 도입하였고, soaking 방법을 통해 항생제를 렌즈안의 나노구조체에 탑재 하였다. 25 oC와 35 oC에서 각각 항생제의 방출 특성을 분석하였다. 상온에서는 항생제를 3 ug 이내로 방출하였 지만, 35 oC에서는 2시간이내에 대부분의 항생제를 방출하였고 10 ug까지 방출하였다. 결론 : 본 연구에서는 온도감응형 나노구조체를 합성하고, 이를 콘택트렌즈에 적용 및 항생제를 탑재하여, 온 도감응형 스마트 항생제용출 콘택트렌즈를 제조하였다. 온도감응형 나노구조체는 콘택트렌즈안에서 항생제를 성 공적으로 탑재할 수 있었고, 상온에서 상당량의 항생체를 보관하고, 온도증가시 10 ug까지의 많은 양의 항생제를 방출하였다. 본 연구결과는 약물전달용 스마트 안과의료기기 및 콘택트렌즈의 개발 및 상용화에 큰 역할을 할 것 으로 기대된다.

We report the first observation of Fano resonance in the Y-shaped cavity (YC), demonstrate that the sensitivity of the sensor is as high as 1160 nm/RIU, much higher than that of the aforementioned sensors, and observe that the quality factor and sensitivity of Fano resonance can be adjusted by changing the geometry of the sensor or adding silver nanoparticles. Traditional sucrose detection methods either waste resources or pollute the environment. This work shows that the sensor can be used to detect the concentration of sucrose. In addition, we found that the concentration of sucrose has a linear relationship with its corresponding refractive index. The sensor we designed can easily and rapidly calculate the concentration of a sucrose solution based on the Fano resonance wavelength shift, which is an important first step towards detecting the refractive index of the solution and identify the composition.

Oil spills into ocean or coastal waters can result in significant damage to the environment via pollution of aquatic ecosystems. Absorbents based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foams have the capacity to remove minor or major oil spills. However, conventional chemical synthesis of rGO often uses petrochemical precursors, potentially harmful chemicals, and requires special processing conditions that are expensive to maintain. In this work, an alternative cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach suitable for large-scale production of high-quality rGO directly from used cooking sunflower oil is discussed. Thus, produced flaky graphene structures are effective in absorbing used commercial sunflower oil and engine oil, via monolayer physisorption in the case of used sunflower and engine oils facilitated by van der Waals forces, π–π stacking and hydrophobic interactions, π-cation ( H+) stacking and radical scavenging activities. From adsorption kinetic models, first-order kinetics provides a better fit for used sunflower oil adsorption (R2 = 0.9919) and second-order kinetics provides a better fit for engine oil adsorption (R2 = 0.9823). From intra-particle diffusion model, R2 for USO is 0.9788 and EO is 0.9851, which indicates that both used sunflower and engine oils adsorption processes follow an intra-particle diffusion mechanism. This study confirms that waste-derived rGO could be used for environmental remediation.

Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) was half covered using aluminum foil and exposed to irradiation with 70 keV C+ ions at room temperature (~ 25 ℃). The surface layer (height = 178.3 ± 4.7 nm) of the irradiated area was destroyed, many nano-sized dendritic protrusions were observed and smooth inner layer was exposed. The peak area ratio (ID/IG) in Raman spectra increased after ion irradiation, indicating that a change in atomic structure and transformation from the sp2 to sp3 phase. The mechanical properties were explored using atomic force microscopy in peakforce mode, which revealed that the Young’s modulus of the exposed inner layer was similar to unirradiated area, while the Young’s modulus of the dendritic protrusions was higher. There findings provided further understanding of the HOPG at nanoscale, which is of value for practical implementation in related fields.

We investigated a Leidenfrost effect in the growth of ZnO nanostructures on silicon substrates by ultrasonic-assisted spray pyrolysis deposition(SPD). Structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanostructures grown by varying the growth parameters, such as substrate temperature, source concentration, and suction rate of the mist in the chambers, were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence spectrum analysis. Structural investigations of the ZnO nanostructures showed abnormal evolution of the morphologies with variation of the substrate temperatures. The shape of the ZnO nanostructures transformed from nanoplate, nanorod, nanopencil, and nanoprism shapes with increasing of the substrate temperature from 250 to 450 °C; these shapes were significantly different from those seen for the conventional growth mechanisms in SPD. The observed growth behavior showed that a Leidenfrost effect dominantly affected the growth mechanism of the ZnO nanostructures.

Carbon-based magnetic nanostructures in several instances have resulted in improved physicochemical and catalytic properties when compared to multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and magnetic nanoparticles. In this study, magnetic MWCNTs with a structure of NixZnxFe2O4/MWCNT as peroxidase mimics were fabricated by the one-pot hydrothermal method. The structure, composition and morphology of the nanocomposites were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic properties were investigated with a vibrating sample magnetometer. The peroxidase-like catalytic activity of the nanocomposites was investigated by colorimetric and electrochemical tests with 3,3´,5,5´-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H2O2 as the substrates. The results show that the synthesis of the nanocomposites was successfully performed. XRD analysis confirmed the crystalline structures of the NixZnxFe2O4/ MWCNT nanohybrids and MWCNTs. The main peaks of the NixZnxFe2O4/MWCNTs crystals were presented. The Ni0.25Zn0.25Fe2O4/MWCNT and Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4/MWCNT nanocatalysts showed nearly similar physicochemical properties, but the Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4/MWCNT nanocatalyst was more appropriate than the Ni0.25Zn0.25Fe2O4/MWCNT nanocatalyst in terms of the magnetic properties and catalytic activity. The optimum peroxidase-like activity of the nanocatalysts was obtained at pH 3.0. The Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4/MWCNT nanocatalyst exhibited a good peroxidase-like activity. These magnetic nanocatalysts can be suitable candidates for future enzyme-based applications such as the detection of glucose and H2O2.

We propose a custom analysis technique for the dark field (DF) image based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The custom analysis technique is developed based on the DigitalMicrograph® (DM) script language embedded in the Gatan digital microscopy software, which is used as the operational software for most TEM instruments. The developed software automatically scans an electron beam across a TEM sample and records a series of electron diffraction patterns. The recorded electron diffraction patterns provide DF and ADF images based on digital image processing. An experimental electron diffraction pattern is recorded from a IrMn polycrystal consisting of fine nanograins in order to test the proposed software. We demonstrate that the developed image processing technique well resolves nanograins of ~ 5 nm in diameter.

Carbon rich fly ash was recently reported to have compositions that are ideal for use as a precursor and catalyst for carbon nanotube growth. This fly ash powder is mostly composed of pure carbon, predominantly present as sp2. In this work, the effect of sonication time on the morphology and structural properties of carbon rich fly ash particles is reported. The obtained results show that ultrasound treatment is an effective tool for producing ultrafine particles/fragments with higher porosity, which might be suitable for the adsorption of gasses. Moreover, carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) of this fly ash were produced in parallel using the ball milling technique, and were evaluated as reinforcements for epoxy based composites. These CNPs have almost spherical shapes with particle sizes of around 30 nm. They were found to have strong C=O carbonyl group bonds, which might be generated during the ball milling process. The tensile testing results of a fly ash CNP reinforced epoxy composite showed significant improvements in the mechanical properties, mainly in the stiffness of the polymer. The stiffness value was increased by around 23% of that of neat epoxy. These CNPs with chemically active groups might also be useful for other applications.

We report on an all-solution-processed hydrothermal method to control the morphology of ZnO nanostructures on Si substrates from three-dimensional hemispherical structures to two-dimensional thin film layers, by controlling the seed layer and the molar contents of surfactants during their primary growth. The size and the density of the seed layer, which is composed of ZnO nanodots, change with variation in the solute concentration. The ZnO nanodots act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for the main ZnO nanostructures. When the seed layer concentration is increased, the ZnO nanostructures change from a hemispherical shape to a thin film structure, formed by densely packed ZnO hemispheres. In addition, the morphology of the ZnO layer is systematically controlled by using trisodium citrate, which acts as a surfactant to enhance the lateral growth of ZnO crystals rather than a preferential one-dimensional growth along the c-direction. X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results reveal that the ZnO structure is wurtzite and did not incorporate any impurities from the surfactants used in this study.

We report on the successful fabrication of ZnO nanorod (NR)/polystyrene (PS) nanosphere hybrid nanostructure by combining drop coating and hydrothermal methods. Especially, by adopting an atomic layer deposition method for seed layer formation, very uniform ZnO NR structure is grown on the complicated PS surfaces. By using zinc nitrate hexahydrate [Zn(NO3)2 ·6H2O] and hexamine [(CH2)6N4] as sources for Zn and O in hydrothermal process, hexagonal shaped single crystal ZnO NRs are synthesized without dissolution of PS in hydrothermal solution. X-ray diffraction results show that the ZnO NRs are grown along c-axis with single crystalline structure and there is no trace of impurities or unintentionally formed intermetallic compounds. Photoluminescence spectrum measured at room temperature for the ZnO NRs on flat Si and PS show typical two emission bands, which are corresponding to the band-edge and deep level emissions in ZnO crystal. Based on these structural and optical investigations, we confirm that the ZnO NRs can be grown well even on the complicated PS surface morphology to form the chestnut-shaped hybrid nanostructures for the energy generation and storage applications

In this study, we demonstrate the photoelectrochromic devices composed of TiO2 and WO3 nanostructuresprepared by anodization method. The morphology and the crystal structure of anodized TiO2 nanotubes and WO3 nan-oporous layers are investigated by SEM and XRD. To fabricate a transparent photoelectrode on FTO substrate, a TiO2nanotube membrane, which has been detached from Ti substrate, is transferred to FTO substrate and annealed at 450°Cfor 1 hr. The photoelectrode of TiO2 nanotube and the counter electrode of WO3 nanoporous layer are assembled andthe inner space is filled with a liquid electrolyte containing 0.5 M LiI and 5 mM I2 as a redox mediator. The propertiesof the photoelectrochromic devices is investigated and Pt-WO3 electrode system shows better electrochromic perform-ance compared toWO3 electrode.

목 적: 곡률이 없는 안경렌즈 위에 하드 코팅 막과 SiO2 막을 쌓은 후, FDTD를 사용하여 원기둥 hole 나노 구조물을 설계하고, 나노 구조 형태에 따른 안경렌즈 코팅막의 굴절률을 연구하였다. 방 법: 시뮬레이터 설계에서 안경렌즈 위에 하드코팅 막을 1.5 μm로 하고, 그 위에 SiO2 막을 100 nm에 서 900 nm까지 변화시켰으며, SiO2 막에 원기둥 hole 모양의 나노 구조를 만들고 원기둥 hole의 배열을 hexagonal로 하였다. 원기둥 hole 깊이와 주기를 고정하고 hole 반경을 변화시켜 반사율이 최소가 되는 파장위치를 찾아 나노 SiO2 막의 굴절률을 계산하였다. 그리고 원기둥 hole 반경과 주기를 고정하고 깊이를 변화시켜 깊이에 따른 반사스펙트럼을 관찰했으며, 또한 원기둥 hole 깊이를 고정시키고 반경과 주기를 변화시켜 주기에 따른 반사스펙트럼을 관찰했다. 또한 원기둥 hole의 반사율 스펙트럼을 좀 더 자세히 분석하기 위해서 원기둥 hole의 배열을 square로 했을 때 반사율 스펙트럼도 관찰하였다. 결 과: 원기둥 hole 깊이를 100 nm로, 주기를 300 nm로 고정하고 반경을 변화시킨 결과, hole 반경이 70 nm일 때 반사율이 영인 파장위치는 508 nm이었다. 이 때, 나노 SiO2 막의 굴절률은 소멸간섭 조건에 의해 계산한 값은 1.27이고, 진폭 조건으로는 1.24로 거의 비슷한 값을 가짐을 알 수 있었다. 그리고 원기둥 hole 높이가 100 nm 이상에서는 간섭현상이 일어나며 높이가 커질수록 반사율이 최대 최소를 이루는 파장의 개수가 점점 많아짐을 알 수 있었다. 또한 시뮬레이션 주기는 100 nm에서 300 nm까지는 반사방지막 효과가 나타나고 400 nm 이상에서는 반사방지막 효과와 회절이 합쳐진 현상이 나타남을 알 수 있었다. 결 론: 반사율이 영일 때 나노 SiO2 막의 굴절률은 소멸 간섭조건에 의해 계산한 값은 1.27이고, 진폭조 건으로는 1.24이다. 또한 시뮬레이션 주기는 100 nm에서 300 nm까지는 반사방지막 효과가 나타나다가 400 nm 이상에서는 반사방지막 효과와 회절이 합쳐진 현상이 나타남을 알 수 있었다.

Photoelectrochemical cells have been used in photolysis of water to generate hydrogen as a clean energy source. A high efficiency electrode for photoelectrochemical cell systems was realized using a ZnO hierarchical nanostructure. A ZnO nanofiber mat structure was fabricated by electrospinning of Zn solution on the substrate, followed by oxidation; on this substrate, hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanorods on the ZnO nanofibers was carried out to form a ZnO hierarchical structure. The thickness of the nanofiber mat and the thermal annealing temperature were determined as the parameters for optimization. The morphology of the structures was examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The performance of the ZnO nanofiber mat and the potential of the ZnO hierarchical structures as photoelectrochemical cell electrodes were evaluated by measurement of the photoelectron conversion efficiencies under UV light. The highest photoconversion efficiency observed was 63 % with a ZnO hierarchical structure annealed at 400˚C in air. The morphology and the crystalline quality of the electrode materials greatly influenced the electrode performance. Therefore, the combination of the two fabrication methods, electrospinning and hydrothermal synthesis, was successfully applied to fabricate a high performance photoelectrochemical cell electrode.

The iron oxides nanoparticles and iron oxide with other compounds are of importance in fields including biomedicine, clinical and bio-sensing applications, corrosion resistance, and magnetic properties of materials, catalyst, and geochemical processes etc. In this work we describe the preparation and investigation of the properties of coated magnetic nanoparticles consisting of the iron oxide core and organic modification of the residue. These fine iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared in air environment by the co-precipitation method using of Fe2+ : Fe3+ where chemical pre- cipitation was achieved by adding ammonia aqueous solution with vigorous stirring. During the synthesis of nanoparti- cles with a narrow size distribution, the techniques of separation and powdering of nanoparticles into rather monodisperse fractions are observed. This is done using controlled precipitation of particles from surfactant stabilized solutions in the form organic components. It is desirable to maintain the particle size within pH range, temperature, solution ratio wherein the particle growth is held at a minimum. The iron oxide nanoparticles can be well dispersed in an aqueous solution were prepared by the mentioned co-precipitation method. Besides the iron oxide nanowires were prepared by using similar method. These iron oxide nanoparticles and nanowires have controlled average size and the obtained products were investigated by X-ray diffraction, FESEM and other methods.