Optical and Electronic Properties of Different Kinds of Water‐Soluble Porphyrin Films

Water‐soluble porphyrin‐porphyrin and porphyrin‐CdSe nanoparticle monolayer films were self‐assembled on different substrates. The influence of substrates, types of films, and heat treatment temperature on fluorescence of different kinds of porphyrin films was investigated. The SEM images showed the formation of monolayer films on porous alumina foil. The films assembled on porous alumina foil possessed higher fluorescence intensity and thermal stability. The result of conductance measurement indicated that the interaction of trimethylamidophenylporphyrin iodide (TAPPI) molecules with hydroxyl groups on porous alumina foil was weakened after CdSe nanoparticles assembled with TAPPI.     

Investigations on current transients in porous alumina films during re-anodizing using the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance

Current transients and mass variations in as-prepared and heat-treated anodic alumina films were measured during re-anodizing by means of voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), respectively. Aluminum electrodes (100 nm) on quartz crystals were prepared by thermal evaporation. Anodic alumina films were formed on the surface of Al electrodes in aqueous solutions of oxalic (0.3 M) and phosphoric (0.6 M) acid in the potentiostatic regime. The EQCM experiments did not detect an overshoot in the mass variation of the Al electrode during re-anodizing of heat-treated anodic alumina films. The observed current overshoot in transients proved the presence of electrons and electron holes injected from the contacts in the bulk of the oxide. This can be explained by the emergence of excess electrons in the barrier layer of the alumina films due to a change in the mobility of the electrons.     

Effect of continuous magnetic field on the growth mechanism of nanoporous anodic alumina films on different substrates

The effects induced by an external homogeneous magnetic field on the oxide film growth on aluminum in aqueous solutions of oxalic and sulfuric acid and on surface morphology of the alumina films were studied. Aluminum films of 100 nm thickness were prepared by thermal evaporation on SiO₂/Si and glass-ceramic substrates. The pore diameter for oxalic acid alumina films on the SiO₂/Si substrate decreased by 0.8 nm, the interpore distance by 5.9 nm, and cell diameter by 6.9 nm if a magnetic field of 0.5 T was applied. When aluminum was anodized in sulfuric acid on the same substrate, the significant changes in parameters of porous structure of alumina, which were similar to the ones in oxalic acid, are firstly observed in stronger magnetic fields (of 0.7 T). On the basis of data obtained in this study and of previous investigation on the negative space charge and thermally activated defects in anodic alumina, we concluded that the intensity of the magnetic field is associated with energy of electron traps and that the changes of cell diameter characterize the trap concentration. The energy of electron traps in oxalic acid alumina films was proved to be smaller than the one in films formed in sulfuric acid, but the concentration of traps was of the same order of magnitude. When the substrate was replaced with the glass-ceramic one, the pore diameter in oxalic acid alumina films increased to ca. 17.6 nm.     

Atomic oxygen erosion resistance of sol–gel oxide films on Kapton

Silica, alumina and silica-alumina composite films were deposited on Kapton substrate via sol–gel method and their atomic oxygen (AO) erosion resistance was test in a ground-based AO simulator. The surface morphology and the structure of as-deposited films were investigated by scanning electronic microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. After AO exposure, more cracks and micro-pores appear on the surface of silica and alumina films, respectively. For the silica-alumina composite films, their toughness and densification are good, and the stable interface is formed between the alumina and silica phases. Therefore, the silica-alumina composite-coated Kapton shows the best AO resistance and the erosion yield is two orders of magnitude less than that of pristine Katpon. Moreover, the composite-coated Kapton remains optically stable under AO exposure.     

Thin films of bicontinuous cubic mesostructured silica templated by a nonionic surfactant

Thin films ofbicontinuous cubic mesostructured silica were formed using the nonionic poly(oxyethylene)-alkyl ether surfactant Brij-56 as a structure-directing agent. The synthesis conditions were chosen such that the estimated volume fraction of surfactant in the silica/surfactant films corresponded approximately to the composition at which the bicontinuous cubic phase occurs in the water/surfactant phase diagram. Small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the cubic phase corresponds to the Ia3(-)d double-gyroid structure, with some distortion due to anisotropic film shrinkage. The cubic structure grows as faceted domains that are well-oriented with respect to the substrate and often occur in coexistence with a lamellar phase. By adjusting the temperature at which the films are aged, it is possible to create films with 2D hexagonal, cubic, or lamellar structures at a single composition.     

Synthesis of Continuous Mesoporous Alumina Films with Large‐Sized Cage‐Type Mesopores by Using Diblock Copolymers

Mesoporous alumina films with large‐sized cage‐type mesopores were prepared by using commercially available diblock copolymer (PS‐b‐PEO) and economic inorganic salt (AlCl₃) as aluminum source. The obtained mesopore sizes drastically expand from 35 nm to 80 nm when the amount of ethanol in the precursor solutions were controlled. More interestingly, under an optimized amount of ethanol as co‐solvent, there was no significant change of micelle morphology on the substrate, even though the relative amount of PS‐b‐PEO to alumina source was dramatically varied. When the amount of alumina precursor was decreased, the pore walls gradually became thinner, thereby improving pore connectivity. The ordered mesoporous alumina films obtained in this study exhibit high thermal stability up to 1000 °C, and their frameworks are successfully crystallized to γ‐alumina phase. This technique could also be applicable for creating other metal oxide thin films with large mesopores.     

Surface modification of nanoporous alumina surfaces with poly(ethylene glycol)

Nanoporous alumina surfaces have a variety of applications in biosensors, biofiltration, and targeted drug delivery. However, the fabrication route to create these nanopores in alumina results in surface defects in the crystal lattice. This results in inherent charge on the porous surface causing biofouling, that is, nonspecific adsorption of biomolecules. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is known to form biocompatible nonfouling films on silicon surfaces. However, its application to alumina surfaces is very limited and has not been well investigated. In this study, we have covalently attached PEG to nanoporous alumina surfaces to improve their nonfouling properties. A PEG-silane coupling technique was used to modify the surface. Different concentrations of PEG for different immobilization times were used to form PEG films of various grafting densities. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to verify the presence of PEG moieties on the alumina surface. High-resolution C1s spectra show that with an increase in concentration and immobilization time, the grafting density of PEG also increases. Further, a standard overlayer model was used to calculate the thickness of PEG films formed using the XPS intensities of the Al2p peaks. The films formed by this technique are less than 2.5 nm thick, suggesting that such films will not clog the pores which are in the range of 70-80 nm.     

硅基多孔氧化铝膜的整体发光及其化学修饰

利用电子束蒸发技术在硅衬底上沉积了500nm厚的铝膜，分别在硫酸、磷酸和 草酸中通过阳极氧化技基多孔氧化铝模板通过透射电镜（TEM）观测了形貌，并测 定了它们的光致发光光谱（PL）．结果表明利用不同的酸性质得到的多孔氧化铝模 板的发光现象是不完全相同的．基于这种思路，采用了其它的酸性电解质磺基水杨 酸或在酸性电解质中预先加人有机荧光物质罗丹明6G，得到了不同发光特性的硅基 多孔氧化铝膜．结合过去的理论，对上述荧光光谱的来源以及变化进行了讨论．多 孔氧化铝的发光一般都来自于与氧空位有关的缺陷态F~+，但它的复合过程会受到 体系中质能级或其它发光物质的影响．来自电解质中的物质在阳极氧化的过程中会 参与氧化铝膜的形成，进而改变氧化铝膜的成分，并影响其发光过程．     

Fabrication of β″‐alumina films as a thermoelectric material by thermal plasma processing

The fabrication of β″‐alumina films as thermoelectric materials was investigated by thermal plasma processing based on the forced constrictive‐type reactor. Under both atmospheric and low pressures, β″‐alumina films were synthesized successfully from a mixed powder of α‐Al₂O₃, Na₂CO₃ and MgO. The jet powder and substrate position strongly affect the properties of plasma‐processed β″‐alumina, which were found to be correlated with jet temperature. For both pressures, the films show good thermoelectric properties. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Behavior of acid species during heat treatment and re-anodizing of porous alumina films formed in malonic acid

In the present work infrared spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectral measurements and the potenthiodynamic technique for studying the effect of treatment temperature on compositional and electronic properties of malonic acid alumina films were used. In the course of our studies, it has been proven that heat treatment of malonic acid films at temperatures from 250 up to 400 °C leads to considerable changes in the photoluminescence properties and voltammetric response during their potentiodynamic re-anodizing. We suggest that defects, such as electron traps, in this type of porous anodic films are caused by the atoms of hydrogen (one or two) escaping from the CH₂ groups of the malonic acid species as a result of the heat treatment. The sites of such defects provide pathways for easy electron migration under a high electric field increasing electroconductivity of anodic alumina films. On the contrary, no structural defects responsible for enhanced electroconductivity are observed during thermal splitting of oxalate groups in the oxalic acid alumina films.     

血红蛋白在纳米孔径氧化铝膜修饰电极上的直接电化学

运用电化学包埋法成功将血红蛋白(Hb)固定于纳米孔阳极氧化铝膜(AAO)修饰的玻碳电极(GC)表面, 制得Hb/PPy/AAO/GC修饰电极, 并对Hb/PPy/AAO/GC修饰电极的制备条件进行了优化. 研究了Hb/PPy/AAO/GC修饰电极在磷酸缓冲液(pH＝6.8)中的电化学行为, 探讨了血红蛋白在AAO修饰电极表面的直接电子转移机理. 结果表明阳极氧化铝膜不仅保持了血红蛋白的生物活性, 而且通过它的纳米尺寸效应, 实现了Hb与电极之间的直接电子转移. 其研究内容对生命科学和临床医学有着重要意义.     

Superhydrofobic effect of hybrid organo-inorganic materials

Superhydrophobic films were obtained on the basis of sol–gel-derived titania or alumina/dodecylamine hybrid materials. It has been shown that wettability of surfaces of the inorganic oxides changes from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic. For superhydrophobic materials, the surface roughness of the hybrid films on the basis of titania and alumina is 39 and 55 μm, respectively, and water contact angle is about 150°.     

Determination of the optimum working range from a calibration curve for colorimetric analysis with an "autoanalyzer"

A study has been made of the types and distribution of errors in determining the optimum working range from a calibration curve for automated analysis. Three error equations are derived for the fitting of a linear, quadratic or cubic curve, involving a thorough statistical analysis of the data. The errors from a set of silica and alumina standards, requiring a quadratic and cubic fit respectively, compare favourably with replicate analyses of standard rocks done on a previous occasion.     

Room-temperature electrochemical reduction of epitaxial magnetite films to epitaxial iron films

The electrochemical reduction of oxides to metals has been studied for decades. Earlier work produced polycrystalline bulk metals. Here, we report that pre-electrodeposited epitaxial face-centered cubic magnetite thin films can be electrochemically reduced to epitaxial body-centered cubic iron thin films in aqueous solution on single-crystalline gold substrates at room temperature. This technique opens new possibilities to produce special epitaxial metal/metal oxide heterojunctions and a wide range of epitaxial metallic alloy films from the corresponding mixed metal oxides.     

Atomic layer deposition of metal-oxide thin films on cellulose fibers

Abstract

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a vapor-phase technique capable of producing inorganic thin films with precise control over the thickness of the film. The ALD method offers high precision in the design of advanced 3D nanostructures. In this article, silica and alumina thin films have been grown over fibers of cellulose by the ALD process. The morphology and the chemical composition of the fabricated thin films are characterized, as well as their thermal durability through elevated temperatures. Moreover, XPS is used to confirm the phases of the alumina nanofilms and to further understand the deposition process on the cellulose microfibers.     

一种新的电化学方法制备CdS纳米线阵列

用一种新的电化学方法在多孔氧化铝模板中制备了CdS纳米线阵列体系,并用XRD、TEM对样品进行表征,结果显示CdS纳米线为立方相和六方相的多晶混合结构,对沉积机理进行了讨论.荧光光谱测量显示CdS纳米线阵列体系有三个强的紫外发光带和一个黄绿发光带.该文所使用的方法可以用来在氧化铝模板中制备其它材料的纳米线阵列体系.     

Systematic study on structural phase behavior of CdSe thin films

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films were chemically deposited at room temperature, from aqueous ammoniacal solution using Cd(CH(3)COO)(2) as Cd2+ and Na(2)SeSO(3) as Se2- ion sources. The as-deposited films were uniform, well adherent to the glass substrate, specularly reflective, and red-orange in color. The as-deposited CdSe layers grew with nanocrystalline sphalerite cubic structure along with the amorphous phase present in it, with optical band gap E(g) = 2.3 eV. The films were annealed in air atmosphere for 4 h at different temperatures and characterized for compositional, structural, morphological, and optical properties. XRD and SEM studies clearly revealed the systematic phase transformation of CdSe films from metastable nanocrystalline cubic (zinc blende type) to a mixture of cubic and hexagonal (wurtzite type), and finally into stable hexagonal through different intermediate phases with an improvement in the crystal quality. The films showed a red shift in their optical spectra after annealing.     

Preparation, Characterization and Nonlinear Optical Properties of One-Dimensional Tetranuclear Platinum Complex/Alumina Composite Films

The preparation of transparent films consisting of one-dimensional tetranuclear platinum complex and an alumina gel was attempted. Characterization of the composite films obtained was performed by UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. From the redox behavior of the complex in films, it was confirmed that the complex maintains the tetranuclear structure in the alumina gel, when the content of the complex is low. However, it seems to turn into another complex with a longer platinum chain, as the content of complex in the gel increases. The third-order nonlinear susceptibility (³) values of composite films was estimated from the third harmonic generation (THG) Maker-fringe measurements of this preliminary study.     

Incorporation and migration of phosphorus species within anodic films on an Al‐W alloy

The effect of tungsten species on the incorporation and migration of phosphorus species within anodic alumina is investigated. The study employs barrier anodic films, formed on a sputtering‐deposited Al‐15at.%W alloy in phosphate electrolytes. The films consist of either an outer tungsten‐containing region and an inner tungsten‐free region, or a tungsten‐containing region only. Phosphorus species are shown to migrate inward in the tungsten‐containing alumina more slowly than in the tungsten‐free alumina. In contrast, the outward migration of tungsten species is relatively unaffected by the presence of phosphorus species. The relevance of the results to the use of tungsten tracers for the study of porous film growth is discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Growth of porous anodic alumina films in hot phosphate–glycerol electrolyte

Growth of porous anodic alumina films has been examined at 10 V in hot phosphate-containing glycerol electrolyte containing 0.1 to 0.57 mass% water. The growth rate of the films is highly dependent upon the water content of the electrolyte, reducing markedly at a water content of 0.1 mass%, an opposite trend to that found previously for the formation of porous films on titanium and niobium. Chemical dissolution of the anodic alumina is also suppressed in electrolyte of low water content. GDOES depth profiles revealed that an increased water content of the electrolyte promoted the incorporation of phosphorus species into the films, although chemical dissolution reduced the amounts of phosphorus in the outer regions. Carbon species also appeared to be present in films, particularly at lower water content. Using a niobium oxide outer layer to suppress chemical dissolution resulted in films that were about 1.2 times the thickness of the consumed aluminium for an electrolyte containing 0.25 mass% water. The expansion suggests a possible contribution of field-assisted flow of film material in the growth of the porous anodic film.