Interface structure of silicon nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous silica matrix

We performed molecular dynamics simulations of the atomic structure of silicon nanocrystals embedded in a stoichiometric amorphous silica matrix. The atom–atom interactions are described by a combination of well-assessed potentials for bulk silicon and SiO₂, plus a mixing term to allow adjusting the charge transfer at the interface between Si and silica. For the free-standing Si nanocrystals, we find that the spherical structure is favoured with respect to the faceted one, up to at least a diameter of 6 nm. Correspondingly, the surface layer shows a higher diffusivity than the bulk. When embedded in the silica matrix, nanocrystals are under severe mechanical stress which is released by the combined formation of porosity at the interface and of bridging Si–O–Si bonds, whose density increases with the nanocrystal size. Vibrational frequencies specific to the interface bonding are identified and discussed.     

Preparation and properties of silica–gold core–shell particles

Silica-metal core–shell particles, as for instance those having siliceous core and nanostructured gold shell, attracted a lot of attention because of their unique properties resulting from combination of mechanical and thermal stability of silica and magnetic, electric, optical and catalytic properties of metal nanocrystals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Often, the shell of the core–shell particles consists of a large number of metal nanoparticles deposited on the surface of relatively large silica particles, which is the case considered in this work. Namely, silica particles having size of about 600 nm were subjected to surface modification with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane. This modification altered the surface properties of silica particles, which was demonstrated by low pressure nitrogen adsorption at ?196 °C. Next, gold nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of aminopropyl-modified silica particles using two strategies: (i) direct deposition of gold nanoparticles having size of about 10 nm, and (ii) formation of gold nanoparticles by adsorption of tetrachloroauric acid on aminopropyl groups followed by its reduction with formaldehyde.The overall morphology of silica–gold particles and the distribution of gold nanoparticles on the surface of modified silica colloids were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. It was shown that direct deposition of colloidal gold on the surface of large silica particles gives more regular distribution of gold nanopartciles than that obtained by reduction of tetrachloroauric acid. In the latter case the gold layer consists of larger nanoparticles (size of about 50 nm) and is less regular. Note that both deposition strategies afforded silica–gold particles having siliceous cores covered with shells consisting of gold nanoparticles of tunable concentration.     

Synthesis and characterization of high surface area TiO2/SiO2 mesostructured nanocomposite

Recently titania synthesis was reported using various structuration procedures, leading to the production of solid presenting high surface area but exhibiting moderate thermal stability. The study presents the synthesis of TiO₂/SiO₂ nanocomposites, a solid that can advantageously replace bulk titania samples as catalyst support. The silica host support used for the synthesis of the nanocomposite is a SBA-15 type silica, having a well-defined 2D hexagonal pore structure and a large pore size. The control of the impregnation media is important to obtain dispersed titania crystals into the porosity, the best results have been obtained using an impregnation in an excess of solvent. After calcination at low temperature (400 °C), nanocomposites having titania nanodomains (～2–3 nm) located inside the pores and no external aggregates visible are obtained. This nanocomposite exhibits high specific surface area (close to that of the silica host support, even with a titania loading of 55 wt.%) and a narrow pore size distribution. Surprisingly, the increase in calcination temperature up to 800 °C does not allow to detect the anatase to rutile transition. Even at 800 °C, the hexagonal mesoporous structure of the silica support is maintained, and the anatase crystal domain size is evaluated at ～10 nm, a size close to that of the silica host support porosity (8.4 nm). Comparison of their physical properties with the results presented in literature for bulk samples evidenced that these TiO₂/SiO₂ solids are promising in term of thermal stability.     

Thermodynamic analysis of partially folded states of myoglobin in presence of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol

The thermal denaturation of myoglobin was studied in the presence of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) at various pH values using differential scanning calorimetry and UV–visible spectroscopy. The most obvious effect of TFE was lowering the transition temperature up to 1.5 mol · kg⁻¹, beyond which no thermal transitions were observed. The protein conformation was analysed by fluorescence and circular dichroism measurements. Quantitative binding of ANS to the TFE induced molten globule state of myoglobin was studied by using isothermal titration calorimetry. The results enable quantitative estimation of the binding strength of ANS with the molten globule state of myoglobin along with the enthalpic and entropic contributions to the binding process. The results suggest occurrence of common structural features of the molten globule states of proteins offering two types of binding sites to ANS molecules which are a widely used fluorescence probe to characterise partially folded states of proteins.     

Stability indicating method for the determination of paracetamol in its pharmaceutical preparations by TLC densitometric method

Simple, sensitive and accurate thin layer procedure was described for a quantitative determination of paracetamol in its bulk powder and in its pharmaceutical dosage forms in the presence of its degradation product. The method consists of dissolving the drug in methanol and then spotting the solution on a thin layer of silica gel G254. Paracetamol was separated on silica gel using the mixture of the mobile phase, ethyl acetate: benzene: acetic acid in a ratio (1:1:0.05 v/v/v).Absorbance measurements (detection of reflectance) of the separated drug were carried out at 250 nm. Calibration curves were established in the concentration range of 5–20 mcg/spot for paracetamol. Quantitation is achieved by comparing the area under the peaks obtained from scanning the thin layer chromatographic plates in a spectrodensitometer. The method has been successfully applied to pharmaceutical preparations (capsules) and the results obtained were statistically compared with those obtained by applying the reference method.     

Preparation of aqueous crosslinked dispersions of functionalized poly(d,l-lactic acid) with a thermomechanical method

Aqueous crosslinked microparticle dispersions were prepared from a copolymer of d,l-lactic acid, 1,4-butanediol, and itaconic acid with a thermomechanical method. The copolymer was prepared in one step polycondensation reaction using Sn(Oct)₂ as a catalyst. A polymer with M_n of 2800 g mol^?1 and a molecular weight distribution of 1.41 was obtained (as determined by SEC), that contained double bonds introduced by the itaconic acid monomer units (6 mol-%, as determined by NMR). Crosslinking ability of the prepared copolymer was demonstrated in bulk by adding a thermal initiator and altering amounts of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) crosslinking agent into molten polymer at 60–150 °C. A crosslinked gel was formed in less than 15 min at 80 °C when 10 wt.% of EGDMA was added and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was used as the initiator. Aqueous dispersions were prepared of the non-crosslinked copolymer with a thermomechanical method that involved slow addition of aqueous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution into molten copolymer at 60 °C under shear. Dispersions were prepared with 10 wt.% of EGDMA and 2 wt.% of BPO. Crosslinking of the dispersed microparticles was achieved by heating the dispersions at 80 °C for 30 or 60 min. The dispersions were characterized by SEM, DSC, TGA, FT-IR, solid state NMR, and gel content measurements. The effect of crosslinking was clearly seen in SEM images of films cast from the dispersions. The films cast from non-crosslinked dispersions had smooth morphology whereas in films cast from crosslinked dispersions separate spherical particles were observed. During the crosslinking reactions, glass transition temperatures increased (as determined by DSC), thermal stability of the samples increased (as determined by TGA), and the gel content of the samples increased.     

Si-doped Fe2O3 nanotubular/nanoporous layers for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting

The present work reports the enhancement of the photoelectrochemical water splitting performance of in-situ silicon (Si)-doped nanotubular/nanoporous (NT/NP) layers. These layers were grown by self-organizing anodization on Fe-Si alloys of various Si content. The incorporation of Si is found to retard the layer growth rates, leads to a more pronounced nanotubular morphology, and most importantly, an improved photoelectrochemical behavior. By increasing Si content from 1, 2 to 5 at.% in the iron oxide NT/NP photoanodes, the photocurrent onset potential shifts favorably to lower values. At 1.3 V vs. RHE, hematite layer with 5 at.% Si shows a 5-fold increase of the photocurrent, i.e. 0.5 mA cm^− 2 in comparison to 0.1 mA cm^− 2 for the undoped samples. The study also reveals that a suitable layer thickness is essential to achieve a beneficial effect of the Si doping.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica gel from siliceous sands of southern Tunisia

The present work aimed to achieve valorization of Albian sands for the preparation of sodium silicates that are commonly used as a precursor to prepare silica gel. A siliceous sand sample was mixed with sodium carbonate and heated at a high temperature (1060 °C) to prepare sodium silicates. The sodium silicates were dissolved in distilled water to obtain high quality sodium silicate solution. Hydrochloric acid was then slowly added to the hydrated sodium silicates to obtain silica gel. The collected raw siliceous sands, as well as the prepared silica gels, were characterized by different techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal analysis (DSC). XRF confirmed that the detrital sand deposits of southern Tunisia contain high amounts of silica, with content ranging from 88.8% to 97.5%. The internal porosity varied between 17% and 22%, and the specific surface area was less than 5 m²/g. After the treatment described above, it was observed that the porosity of the obtained silica gel reached 57% and the specific surface area exceeded 340 m²/g. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms showed that the prepared silica gels are microporous and mesoporous materials with high adsorption capacities. These results suggest that the obtained silica gels are promising materials for numerous environmental applications.     

Involvement of cyan and ester groups in surface interactions of aerosil–cyanophenyl alkyl benzoate systems with high silica density: Infrared investigations

Composites prepared from aerosil A380 and liquid crystals (LCs) of 4-n-alkyl-4′-cyanophenyl benzoate type, with four to six carbon atoms in the alkyl chain were investigated by infrared spectroscopy. Their high silica content (of 2–7 g aerosil/1 g of LC) was given by thermogravimetric investigations and allows the observation of a rather thin LC layer on the silica particles. Several surface species onto the external surface of the grains were demonstrated. Arguments are given that monomer and dimer species are present in the bulk cyanophenyl benzoate materials while bulk-like species along with hydrogen-bonded ones coexist in the so-called surface layer of the composites. The main interaction of LC molecules with the aerosil surface is by hydrogen bonding taking place with the involvement of the cyan group. There is a contribution of ester carbonyl group to these surface interactions but this cannot be well quantified.     

RuO2-wired high-rate nanoparticulate TiO2 (anatase): Suppression of particle growth using silica

To enhance the high-rate capability (up to 120 C, 20 A/g) of nanoparticulate TiO₂ (anatase) formed by thermal treatment of protonated TiO₂ nanotubes, we used two types of additives: RuO₂ as an electron-conductive material [Y.-G. Guo, Y.-S. Hu, W. Sigle, J. Maier, Adv. Mater. 19 (2007) 2087] and silica as a suppressant of particle growth during heat treatment. We show systematically that both additives, when used separately, improve the high-rate performance of anatase by 25–55 mA h/g at 60 C. The combined use of both additives in a total amount of merely 2.5 wt.% leads to an improvement of more than 70 mA h/g at 60 C. The underlying mechanisms for these significant effects are briefly discussed.     

High resolution LAPS and SPIM

The resolution of photocurrent measurements at field-effect capacitors as used in light-addressable potentiometric sensors (LAPS) and scanning photo-induced impedance microscopy (SPIM) has been investigated using silicon on sapphire (SOS) substrates illuminated at different wavelengths. Using a two-photon effect in silicon (λ = 1250 nm) to generate the photocurrent, genuine submicrometer resolution has been demonstrated for LAPS and SPIM. Improved sensitivity for both LAPS and SPIM was obtained using a 6.7 nm thick gate oxide on SOS anodically grown in 0.1 M HCl.     

Microstructure and properties of silicon carbide whisker reinforced zirconium diboride ultra-high temperature ceramics

Hot-pressed zirconium diboride (ZrB₂) matrix composites containing 0–30 vol% silicon carbide (SiC) whiskers have been investigated to determine the effect of composition (i.e. amount of SiC whiskers) on the microstructure, mechanical properties and thermal properties. With increasing SiC whisker volume contents, the flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composites were improved compared to those of monolithic ZrB₂. Flexural strength increased from 629 MPa for pure ZrB₂ to 767 MPa for ZrB₂–30 vol%SiCw. Likewise, fracture toughness ranged from 5.4 to 7.1 MPa m^1/2 over the same composition range. Specific heat capacity increased with SiC whisker addition, while thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity decreased slightly with the increase of SiC whisker content.     

S-layer templated bioinspired synthesis of silica

The current understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the bioinspired formation of silica structures laid foundation for investigating the potential of the S-layer protein SbpA from Lysinibacillus sphaericus CCM 2177 as catalyst, template and scaffold for the generation of novel silica architectures. SbpA reassembles into monomolecular lattices with square (p4) lattice symmetry and a lattice constant of 13.1 nm. Silica layers on the S-layer lattice were formed using tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and visualized by transmission electron microscopy. In situ quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) measurements showed the adsorption of silica in dependence on the presence of phosphate in the silicate solution and on the preceding chemical modification of the S-layer. An increased amount of precipitated silica could be observed when K₂HPO₄/KH₂PO₄ was present in the solution (pH 7.2). Further on, independent of the presence of phosphate the silica deposition was higher on S-layer lattices upon activation of their carboxyl groups with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) compared to native S-layers or EDC treated S-layers when the activated carboxyl groups were blocked with ethylene diamine (EDA). Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy revealed the formation of an amorphous silica gel (SiO₂)_x·yH₂O on the S-layer. The silica surface concentrations on the S-layer was 4 × 10^?9 to 2 × 10^?8 mol cm^?2 depending on the modification of the protein layer and corresponded to 4–21 monolayers of SiO₂.     

Pd gate MOS sensor for hydrogen detection

The performance of Pd gate MOS hydrogen sensor was studied using C–V and G–V characteristics. The device was fabricated on p-type <100> (1–6Ω cm.) silicon with thermal oxide layer of about 100 Å. The C–V and G–V responses of sensor were measured at different frequencies (1 kHz, 10 kHz, and 100 kHz) upon exposure to hydrogen (conc. 1–8%) at room temperature. It was observed that value of zero bias capacitance decreases with increase in frequency as well as hydrogen concentration. The inversion potential (V_inv.) and flat band voltage (V_FB) of the device approach higher values as frequency is reduced. Interface trap density (N_it) was also determined corresponding to the peak in the conductance curve, using a bias scan conductance method at fixed frequency. N_it was found to be decreasing with increasing concentrations of hydrogen. The sensor showed better sensitivity at lower frequency.     

Silica-coated iron nanocubes: Preparation,characterization and application in microwave absorption

Novel cubic nanocapsules consisting of metallic iron core and amorphous silica shell were fabricated through a simple chemical reduction route followed by a Stöber process. Thus-prepared Fe@SiO₂ nanocubes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and scalar network analysis (SNA). Comparing with that of pure iron counterparts, silica-coated iron nanocubes exhibited improved magnetic properties, oxidation resistance and microwave absorption performance. A reflection loss (RL) exceeding ?12 dB was obtained in the frequency range of 8–14 GHz for an absorber thickness of 2 mm, with an optimal RL of ?18.2 dB at 9 GHz. Mechanism of the improved microwave absorption properties of the Fe@SiO₂ composite was discussed based on their magnetic properties and electromagnetic theory.     

Preparation of spherical silica particles by Stöber process with high concentration of tetra-ethyl-orthosilicate

In this paper, Stöber process with high concentration of tetra-ethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS) up to 1.24 M is used to prepare monodisperse and uniform-size silica particles. The reactions are carried out at [TEOS] = 0.22–1.24 M, low concentrations of ammonia ([NH₃] = 0.81[TEOS]), and [H₂O] = 6.25[TEOS] in isopropanol. The solids content in the resulting suspension achieves a maximum value of 7.45% at 1.24 M TEOS. Various-sized particles in the range of 30–1000 nm are synthesized. The influences of TEOS, NH₃, and H₂O on the size and size distribution of the particles are discussed. A modified monomer addition model combined with aggregation model is proposed to analyze the formation mechanism of silica particles.     

A novel controllable synthesis of silica nanotube arrays with ultraviolet photoluminescence

The synthesis of large-scale one-dimensional silica nanotube (SNT) arrays embedded in Si substrate is demonstrated by using the combination of AAO template mask and Ar ion milling technique. The geometry of the SNTs could be precisely controlled by the process parameters, which included that the SNT diameter and the interpore distance were controlled by AAO anodization voltage and H₃PO₄ pore widening time, while the length of SNT was controlled by ion milling time and AAO aspect ratio. Also, the SNT fabrication parameters could be related to their photoluminescence (PL) emitting properties, when anodized at 40 V, pore widening in H₃PO₄ acid for 70 min and ion milled for 5 min, a strong intensity and stable ultraviolet (UV) light of 3.25 eV (381 nm) emitted from the SNTs under the excitation of 266 nm laser, which could be assumed arising from twofold coordinated silicon lone pair centers in the oxygen deficiency SNTs. The present fabrication of SNT arrays presents a novel method for intensity and frequency adjustable ultraviolet optoelectronic devices.     

High-performance thin layer chromatography method for estimation of andrographolide in herbal extract and polyherbal formulations

A new, simple, sensitive, precise and robust high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed for the estimation of andrographolide in herbal extracts and pharmaceutical dosage forms. Analysis of andrographolide was performed on TLC aluminium plates pre-coated with silica gel 60F-254 as stationary phase. Linear ascending development was carried out in twin trough glass chamber saturated with chloroform:toluene:methanol (66:26:8, v/v/v) at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C). The R_f value of andrographolide was found to be 0.49. Camag TLC scanner III was used for spectrodensitometric scanning and analysis in absorbance mode at 229 nm. The system was found to give compact spots for andrographolide (R_f value of 0.49). The data for calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r² = 0.9986 in the concentration range of 200 ng to 1000 ng with respect to peak area. The present method was validated by precision, recovery, robustness and reproducibility according to ICH guidelines. The limits of detection and quantification were determined and it was found to be 3.5 and 11.7 ng, respectively. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the method is reproducible and selective for estimation of andrographolide.     

High performance miniature glucose/O2 fuel cell based on porous silicon anion exchange membrane

Mesoporous silicon membranes are functionalized with ammonium groups and evaluated as high efficient anion exchange membrane in a miniaturized alkaline glucose fuel cell setup. N-Trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride is grafted onto the pore walls of porous silicon resulting in the anionic conductivity enhancement. The functionalization process is followed by FTIR spectroscopy where the optimized parameter could be determined. The ionic conductivity is measured using impedance spectroscopy and gives 5.6 mS cm^− 1. These modified mesoporous silicon membranes are integrated in a specially designed miniature alkaline (pH 13) glucose/air fuel cell prototype using a conventional platinum-carbon anode and a cobalt phthalocyanine-carbon nanotube cathode. The enhanced anion conductivity of these membranes leads to peak power densities of 7 ± 0.12 mW cm^− 2 at “air breathing” conditions at room temperature.