Absorption and Scattering of Light by Hybrid Metal/J-Aggregate Nanoparticles: Plasmon–Exciton Coupling and Size Effects

We report the results of our theoretical studies of the optical properties of hybrid nanoparticles consisting of the metal core covered with molecular J-aggregates. We evaluate the cross sections of absorption and scattering of light by such particles on the basis of the extended Mie theory for two concentric spheres with material dielectric functions that take into account the size effect associated with scattering of free electrons from the core/shell interface. We carry out our calculations in a wide range of light wavelengths and geometrical parameters of the composite system for silver and gold core and for a J-aggregate shell composed of different cyanine dyes. The results obtained demonstrate the quite different behavior of the extinction spectra of such particles caused by the different strengths of interaction between the Frenkel exciton and the dipolar or multipolar plasmons. We pay particular attention to the investigation of spectral peak positions associated with the eigenfrequencies of hybrid modes in the system and peak intensities as functions of reduced oscillator strength in the molecular J-band for various relationships between the core radius and shell thickness. This provides an efficient means for the explanation of the main features in the optical properties of metal/J-aggregate nanoparticles and can be used for an effective control of the plasmon–exciton coupling strength in such hybrid complexes.     

Antimicrobial ZnO Nanoparticle–Doped Polyvinyl Alcohol/Pluronic Blends as Active Food Packaging Films

Today, plastic waste has been highlighted as one of the greatest threats to the environment. These environmental concerns and the increased necessity for safe food packaging have inspired scientists to focus on the development of active biodegradable materials. Herein, a novel poly(vinyl alcohol)/pluronic/ZnO nanocomposite film (PVA/PLUR/ZnO) is introduced as an active packaging material with enhanced antimicrobial activity. Gamma irradiation is used as a “green” route to prepare ZnO nanoparticles via a polymer pyrolysis method. The as-prepared ecofriendly ZnO nanoparticles are characterized and incorporated into the PVA/PLUR matrix in different concentrations. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements prove that ZnO nanoparticles have a mean particle size of 30 nm with a spherical-like morphology. Morphological and structural characterization confirm the successful incorporation of ZnO into the PVA/PLUR matrix, which in turn enhances the thermal and barrier properties of PVA/PLUR/ZnO nanocomposite films. On the other hand, the opacity of blends is increased. The PVA/PLUR/ZnO composites exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, and fungi, and the activity increases with increasing concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles. These results introduce PVA/PLUR/ZnO films as effective antimicrobial materials for active food-packaging applications.     

Gaseous Metal and the Problem of Vapor–Liquid (Insulator–Metal) Transition in Metal Vapors

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics - We consider the main properties of a gaseous metal, viz., the state of metal vapor adjoining the vapor–fluid transition binodal. The gaseous...     

Five-Level Structural Hierarchy: Microfluidically Supported Synthesis of Core–Shell Microparticles Containing Nested Set of Dispersed Metal and Polymer Micro and Nanoparticles

This study presents the development of a hierarchical design concept for the synthesis of multi-scale polymer particles with up to five levels of organization. The synthesis of core–shell microparticles containing nested sets of dispersed metal and polymer micro- and nanoparticles is achieved through in situ photopolymerization using a double co-axial capillaries microfluidic device. The flow rates of the carrier, shell, and core phases are optimized to control particle size and result in stable core–shell particles with well-dispersed three-level composites in the shell matrix. The robustness and reversibility of these core–shell particles are demonstrated through five cycles of drying and re-swelling, showing that the size and structure of core–shell particles remain unchanged. Additionally, the permeability and mobility of dye molecules within the shell matrix are tested and showed that different molecular weight dyes have different penetration times. This study highlights the potential of microfluidics as a powerful tool for the controlled and precise synthesis of complex structured materials and demonstrates the versatility and potential of these core–shell particles for sensing applications as particle-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).     

Metal–insulator transition and colossal magnetoresistance: relevance of electron–lattice coupling and electronic phase separation

In this article, we review the insulator–metal transition and the colossal magnetoresistance effect in manganites. The relevance of electron–lattice coupling and the resulting Jahn–Teller polaron is elaborated. The general features of electronic phase separation, which results from disorder and strain effects, are discussed along with electron–lattice coupling effects. Although a comprehensive theory is still lacking that can account for all the intricate features of manganite physics, electronic-phase separation and electron–lattice coupling appear to capture the essence of the colossal magnetoresistance effect in manganites.     

Lambda-Nucleon and Nucleon–Nucleon Interactions on the Lattice

Lattice QCD study of nuclear potentials is reported. A lattice QCD method to calculate realistic nuclear potentials is developed. In this method, Bethe–Salpeter wave functions generated on the lattice are used to reconstruct nuclear potentials by using Schrödinger equation. It is one of the possible extensions of Lüscher’s finite volume method for scattering phase shifts. Hence the resulting potential can reproduce the scattering data. The method was first applied to the central potential in NN system. It is now applied to various objects, such as tensor potential, hyperon potentials both in quenched QCD and 2 + 1 flavor QCD generated by PACS-CS Collaboration.     

Design and Synthesis of Highly Photostable Yellow–Green Emitting 1,8-Naphthalimides as Fluorescent Sensors for Metal Cations and Protons

Two highly photostable yellow–green emitting 1,8-naphthalimides 5 and 6, containing both N-linked hindered amine moiety and a secondary or tertiary cation receptor, were synthesized for the first time. Novel compounds were configured as “fluorophore–spacer–receptor” systems based on photoinduced electron transfer. Photophysical characteristics of the dyes were investigated in DMF and water/DMF (4:1, v/v) solution. The ability of the new compounds to detect cations was evaluated by the changes in their fluorescence intensity in the presence of metal ions (Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺) and protons. The presence of metal ions and protons was found to disallow a photoinduced electron transfer leading to an enhancement in the dye fluorescence intensity. Compound 5, containing secondary amine receptor, displayed a good sensor activity towards metal ions and protons. However the sensor activity of dye 6, containing a tertiary amine receptor and a shorter hydrocarbon spacer, was substantially higher. The results obtained indicate the potential of the novel compounds as highly photostable and efficient “off–on” pH switchers and fluorescent detectors for metal ions with pronounced selectivity towards Cu²⁺ ions.     

Hetero-Colloidal Metal Particle Multilayer Films Grown Using Electrostatic Interactions at the Air–water Interface

The formation of nanoparticle multilayer films by electrostatic immobilization of surface-modified colloidal particles at the air–water interface has been recently demonstrated by us. In this paper, we extend our study to show that multilayer assemblies consisting of metal particles of different chemical nature (hetero-colloidal particle superlattices) and size can be deposited by the versatile Langmuir–Blodgett technique. Multilayer films consisting of a different number of bilayers of gold and silver colloidal particles have been deposited and characterized using quartz crystal microgravimetry and UV–visible spectroscopy measurements. It is observed that while layer-by-layer deposition of the different colloidal particle assemblies is possible by this technique without a detectable variation in the cluster density in the different layers, a degree of post-deposition reorganization of the clusters occurs in the film. In addition to this aging behavior, the effect of different organic solvents on the reorganization process has also been studied.     

Facile Synthesis and Size Control of 2D Cyclodextrin-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks Nanosheet for Topical Drug Delivery

In this work, a 2D nanosheet (NS) of γ-cyclodextrin (CD)-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is synthesized through a facile green chemistry approach. NS-MOF carrier is constructed using a water system in a simple one-pot reaction involving CD and potassium carbonate. Particle size optimization is achieved by adjusting the reaction temperature and the introduction of crystal growth suppressor (appropriate proportion of acetone). The NS-MOF stability in aqueous medium is improved by polymerization reaction of crosslinked CD-MOF (CL-CD-MOF) without blocking its cavity for drug loading. The effects of particle geometry and size of nanoporous materials on their pharmacokinetics during drug delivery are compared between the sheet-like DXM@CL-NS-MOF and 3D-cubic-shaped DXM@CL-CD-MOF loaded with the same quantity of dexamethasone (DXM). The bioefficiency of these carriers in tear fluids and aqueous humors to deliver DXM is investigated in vivo. The results demonstrate that the 2D-nanosheet particles significantly improve precorneal residence time and intraocular bioavailability over the commercial Maxidex (0.1% dexamethasone) and its 3D-cubes counterpart of similar chemical composition. It suggests that the geometry of a carrier play a significant role in the biodistribution, and the carrier of CL-NS-MOF is a good candidate for ocular drug delivery.     

Paramagnetic Effects on Nuclear Relaxation in Enzyme-Bound Co(II)–Adenine Nucleotide Complexes: Relative Contributions of Dipolar and Scalar Interactions

³¹P NMR measurements on CoADP bound to creatine kinase designed to estimate the relative contribution of scalar and dipolar interactions to³¹P spin relaxation rates show that these rates are primarily due to distance-dependent dipolar interactions and that the contribution of the scalar interaction is negligible.     

Hohenberg–Kohn Theorems for Interactions,Spin and Temperature

Journal of Statistical Physics - We prove Hohenberg–Kohn theorems for several models of quantum mechanics. First, we show that for possibly degenerate systems of several types of particles,...     

Metal–dielectric photonic crystal superlattice: 1D and 2D models and empty lattice approximation

Periodic nanostructures are one of the main building blocks in modern nanooptics. They are used for constructing photonic crystals and metamaterials and provide optical properties that can be changed by adjusting the geometrical parameters of the structures. In this paper the optical properties of a photonic crystal slab with a 2D superlattice are discussed. The structure consists of a gold layer with a finite periodic pattern of air holes that is itself repeated periodically with a larger superperiod. We propose simplified 1D and 2D models to understand the physical nature of Wood's anomalies in the optical spectra of the investigated structure. The latter are attributed to the Rayleigh anomalies, surface plasmon Bragg resonances and the hole-localized plasmons.     

Co–In2O3 Nanocomposite Films: Synthesis and Structural and Magnetic Properties

Physics of the Solid State - The structural and magnetic properties of granular Co–In2O3 nanocomposite films formed by vacuum annealing of In/Co3O4 film bilayers at a temperature of...     

Synthesis and characterization of cobalt–manganese oxides

Cobalt doped/un-doped manganese oxides materials were synthesized at various doping rates by soft chemical reactions, oxidation-reduction method, which allows generating a metal-mixed oxide. The synthesized materials were characterized using several techniques including chemical analysis, X-rays diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The chemical analysis confirmed the presence of cobalt in the samples. XRD patterns reveal mainly a spinel-like structure and SEM micrographs exhibited morphology with fine aggregate of particles. TGA profiles showed weight loss due to loss of water in a first step, followed by a loss of oxygen from the lattice associated with partial reduction of Mn⁴⁺ to Mn³⁺. VSM was used to measure the magnetization as a function of the applied magnetic field at temperatures T=50 and 300 K. Different magnetic behaviors were observed when cobalt percentage changed in the samples. These behaviors are considered to be related to the size of the particles and composition of the materials. Higher coercive field and lesser magnetization were observed for the sample with higher cobalt content.     

Synthesis and performance of Zn–Ni–P thin films

The electroplating of Zn–Ni–P thin film alloys from a sulfate bath containing phosphoric and phosphorous acid was investigated. The bath composition and the deposition parameters were optimized through Hull cell experiments, and the optimum experimental conditions were determined(p H = 2, temperature = 298–313 K, zinc sulfate concentration =30 g·L-1, EDTA concentration = 15 g·L-1, and current density = 1.0–2.0 A·dm-2). The SEM analysis of the coating deposited from the optimum bath revealed fine-grained deposits of the alloy in the presence of EDTA. Optical microscopy analysis indicated an electrodeposited thin film with uniform thickness and good adhesion to the steel substrate. The good adherence of the coatings was also demonstrated by the scratch tests that were performed, with a maximum determined value of 25 N for the critical load. Corrosion resistance tests revealed good protection of the steel substrate by the obtained Zn–Ni–P coatings, with values up to 85.89% for samples with Ni contents higher than 76%. The surface analysis of the thin film samples before and after corrosion was performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).     

Negative Differential Resistance and Other Features of Spin-Dependent Electron Transport in Double-Barrier Hybrid Superconductor–Ferromagnetic Metal–Normal Metal Structures

Spin-dependent electronic transport is theoretically investigated for double-barrier hybrid structures S–IF–F–IF–N and S–IF–N–IF–N, where S is a superconductor; F and N are ferromagnetic and normal metals, respectively; and IF is the spin-active barrier. It is shown that in the case of strong superconducting proximity effect and sufficiently thin F layers, the differential resistance of such structures can become negative at some voltages, and the voltage dependence of the current can have an N-shaped form. Characteristic feature of the differential resistance is its asymmetric dependence on voltage, which is most clearly manifested at strong polarization of at least one of the barriers. The influence of impurity spin–orbit scattering processes in the N-layer located between the barriers is investigated. The study was carried out for the case of diffusion electron transport.