Synthesis and structural characterisation of CdS nanoparticles prepared in a four-components "water-in-oil" microemulsion

Nanostructured semiconductor particles are currently under intense investigation because of their enhanced photoreactivity and photocatalytic properties due to the quantum-size effect and the dependence of the photophysical and photochemical properties on their size as it approaches the exciton diameter. This increasing interest has led to the development of several synthetic procedures to prepare and stabilise uniform crystallites. In this paper, we report a novel synthetic pathway to obtain cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanoparticles in a quaternary "water-in-oil" microemulsion formed by a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), pentanol, n-hexane and water. The synthesis of CdS in this system is achieved by mixing two microemulsions containing Cd(NO3)2 and Na2S, respectively. The nanocrystals have been characterised by using UV--visible spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy to investigate the influence of various parameters of the particles' formation and stability in solution. Capping of nanoparticles with suitable organic molecules has been performed in order to increase their stability and afford solubility in a wide range of solvents.     

Silica-coated quantum dots fluorescent spheres synthesized using a quaternary ‘water-in-oil’ microemulsion system

Nanoscale and microscale silica spheres embedded with multiple CdSe quantum dots (QDs, having average diameters of about 2.4 and 5.0 nm, respectively.) were synthesized by using a quaternary ‘water-in-oil’ microemulsion. Comparing the uncoated QDs, the quantum yields (QYs) of the silica-coated QD spheres were enhanced when the QD cores were synthesized using mercaptoacetic acid (MA) as a stabilizer, while the QYs were dramatically decreased when the cores were synthesized using citric acid (CA) as a stabilizer. The enhanced QYs could be further improved by heating the silica-coated QDs in aqueous solution. Although the QYs of the silica-coated QDs were not high, these spheres emitted bright fluorescence. The silica shells contained numerous micropores (∼0.58–0.91 nm), and small amounts of toxic ions (such as Cd²⁺) could be released from the silica spheres. However, the release rate of toxic ions from the silica spheres was significantly reduced compared with that of the uncoated QDs.     

Synthesis and structural,magnetic and electrochemical characterization of PtCo nanoparticles prepared by water-in-oil microemulsion

PtCo nanoparticles with homogeneous size (around 3–4 nm) have been synthesized in a water-in-oil microemulsion of water/polyethylenglycol–dodecylether (BRIJ^®30)/n-heptane. X-ray diffraction study revealed the formation of a cubic phase with a gradual decrease of the cell parameter with increasing cobalt incorporation in the crystalline lattice of platinum. In relation to their magnetic properties, the PtCo nanoparticles present a superparamagnetic behaviour even after annealing, although higher permeability was induced by the thermal treatment. Finally, the electrocatalytic activity of the particles towards oxalic acid oxidation in H₂SO₄ was evaluated. The Pt74Co26 nanoparticles showed the highest reactivity for this reaction.     

Method for describing the steady-state reaction front in a two-dimensional flow

It has been shown that the complete system of hydrodynamic equations describing the position of the steady-state reaction front in a two-dimensional incompressible flow can be reduced to a closed system of surface equations using the method for reducing the dimension in overdetermined systems of differential equations. This system of surface equations allows the determination of the position of the steady-state front and all other quantities characterizing a hydrodynamic flow through it.     

Influence of disorder and deformation on the optical properties of a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide

We investigate the effect of disorder and mechanical deformation on a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide. The dispersion characteristics and transmittance of the waveguide are studied using the finite element method. Results show that the geometric change of the dielectric material perpendicular to the light propagation direction has a larger influence on the waveguide characteristics than that parallel to the light propagation direction. Mechanical deformation has an obvious influence on the performance of the waveguide. In particular, longitudinal deformed structure exhibits distinct optical characteristics from the ideal one. Studies on this work will provide useful guideline to the fabrication and practical applications based on photonic crystal waveguides.     

Reproduction of a protocell by replication of a minority molecule in a catalytic reaction network

For understanding the origin of life, it is essential to explain the development of a compartmentalized structure, which undergoes growth and division, from a set of chemical reactions. In this study, a hypercycle with two chemicals that mutually catalyze each other is considered in order to show that the reproduction of a protocell with a growth-division process naturally occurs when the replication speed of one chemical is considerably slower than that of the other chemical, and molecules are crowded as a result of replication. It is observed that the protocell divides after a minority molecule is replicated at a slow synthesis rate, and thus, a synchrony between the reproduction of a cell and molecule replication is achieved. The robustness of such protocells against the invasion of parasitic molecules is also demonstrated.     

A novel approach to metal and metal oxide nanoparticle synthesis: the oil-in-water microemulsion reaction method

A novel and straightforward approach, based on oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsions, was developed for the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles at ambient conditions. It implies the use of organometallic precursors dissolved in nanometre-scale oil droplets of o/w microemulsions. Addition of reducing or oxidizing/precipitating agents results in the formation of metallic or metal oxide nanoparticles, respectively. Nonionic o/w microemulsion systems were chosen, and several key compositions were selected for nanoparticle synthesis at 25 °C. High Resolution Electron Microscopy revealed that small nanoparticles of metals (Pt, Pd and Rh) and nanocrystalline metal oxide (cerium (IV) oxide with cubic type crystalline structure confirmed by XRD), of less than 7 nm can be obtained in mild conditions.     

二维情况下两组分带电囊泡形变耦合相分离的理论模拟研究

结合离散空间变分方法和耗散动力学研究了二维两组分带电囊泡的形变耦合相分离,系统地考察了囊泡带电量组分含量、带电组分的电荷密度、两组分间的相容性和温度等因素对形变耦合相分离动力学的影响.模拟结果表明电荷引入可增加不同组分间的表观相溶性.当温度较高时,静电相互作用可直接抑制囊泡相分离,避免了同种组分的团聚;当温度较低时,静电相互作用则可明显增加分相相区数目,使其呈微观相分离,从而避免了同种组分大范围的团聚.     

Influence of disorder and deformation on the optical properties of two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide

We investigate the effect of disorder and mechanical deformation on two- dimensional photonic crystal waveguide. The dispersion characteristics and transmittance of the waveguide are studied by using the finite element method. Results show that the geometric change of the dielectric material perpendicular to the light propagation direction has a larger influence on the waveguide characteristics than that parallel to the light propagation direction. Mechanical deformation has an obvious influence on the performance of the waveguide. In particular, longitudinal deformed structure exhibits distinct optical characteristics from the ideal one. Studies on this work will provide useful guideline to the fabrications and practical applications based on photonic crystal waveguides.     

二维Hénon-Heiles势及其变形势体系逃逸率与分形维数的研究

采用Chin和Chen的动力学算法追踪粒子在体系中的运动情况, 首次研究并对比了粒子在Hénon-Heiles体系与变形Hénon-Heiles六边形体系中的混沌逃逸规律, 在Hénon-Heiles体系中, 对于不同能量范围, 分形维数与逃逸率随能量而改变, 但在变形Hénon-Heiles六边形体系中, 仅在低能区分形维数与逃逸率随能量的改变而变化, 而高能区逃逸率和分形维数趋于稳定值. 并且得到普遍规律, 即不同混沌体系中粒子的混沌逃逸率和粒子逃逸的分形维数呈现较强的线性相关性. 因而分形维数可以作为工具研究混沌体系中粒子的逃逸规律, 在介观器件设计中可以通过研究混沌电子器件的分形维数来表征粒子在器件中的传输行为.     

Spontaneous deformation of the fermi surface due to strong correlation in the two-dimensional t- J model

The Fermi surface of the two-dimensional t- J model is studied using the variational Monte Carlo method. We study the Gutzwiller-projected d-wave superconducting state with an additional variational parameter t(')(v) corresponding to the next-nearest-neighbor hopping term. It is found that the finite t(')(v)<0 gives the lowest variational energy in the wide range of hole-doping rates. The obtained momentum distribution function shows that the Fermi surface deforms spontaneously. It is also shown that the Van Hove singularity is always located very close to the Fermi energy. Using the Gutzwiller approximation, we show that this deformation is due to the Gutzwiller projection operator or the strong correlation.     

Shape deformation and circle instability in two-dimensional lipid domains by dipolar force: a shape- and size-dependent line tension model

The dipolar energy of a solid monolayer domain surrounded by a fluid phase at an air-water interface is derived approximately as a sum of an additionally negative line tension and a curvature-elastic energy at the boundary. Variation of the domain energy yields an equilibrium domain shape equation. The obvious solutions of the domain shape equation clearly predict a circle, torus, D-form, S-form, and serpentine manner shape found experimentally, depending on the difference in the Gibbs free energy between the solid and fluid phases and the total line tension. Analysis of linear instability for a circle with a fixed area shows that, above a threshold size, the circle can be deformed into an m-sided quasipolygon. The good agreement with the observation and numerical calculation reported by Lee and McConnell [J. Phys. Chem. 91, 9532 (1993)]] shows the quantitative validity of the present theory.     

Numerical simulation for two-dimensional Riesz space fractional diffusion equations with a nonlinear reaction term

Fractional differential equations have attracted considerable interest because of their ability to model anomalous transport phenomena. Space fractional diffusion equations with a nonlinear reaction term have been presented and used to model many problems of practical interest. In this paper, a two-dimensional Riesz space fractional diffusion equation with a nonlinear reaction term (2D-RSFDE-NRT) is considered. A novel alternating direction implicit method for the 2D-RSFDE-NRT with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions is proposed. The stability and convergence of the alternating direction implicit method are discussed. These numerical techniques are used for simulating a two-dimensional Riesz space fractional Fitzhugh-Nagumo model. Finally, a numerical example of a two-dimensional Riesz space fractional diffusion equation with an exact solution is given. The numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods. These methods and techniques can be extended in a straightforward method to three spatial dimensions, which will be the topic of our future research.     

Shear-induced nano-macro structural transition in a polymeric bicontinuous microemulsion

Bicontinuous microemulsions arise in a narrow concentration range for ternary blends containing two immiscible homopolymers and the corresponding diblock copolymer. Steady shear reveals four distinct regimes of response as a function of shear rate, corresponding to flow-induced transitions in fluid structure. In situ neutron scattering shows flow-induced anisotropy in the nanometer-scale microemulsion structure at moderate shear rates, while higher rates induce bulk phase separation, with micron-size morphology, which is characterized with in situ light scattering and optical microscopy.     

Temperature and pressure effects on the bending modulus of monolayers in a ternary microemulsion

We performed small-angle neutron scattering and neutron spin echo experiments on a ternary microemulsion composed of ionic surfactant AOT, water, and decane. Thermal fluctuations of monolayers have been investigated as a function of temperature and pressure. The amphiphilic monolayers become more flexible with increasing temperature and more rigid with increasing pressure. These results are consistent with the microscopic picture that the head-head repulsion of the AOT molecules is enhanced at high temperature while an attractive interaction between the hydrophobic tails of the AOT molecules increases at high pressure.     

Cluster description of water-in-oil microemulsions near the critical and percolation points

The three-component ionic microemulsion system consisting of AOT/water/decane shows an unusual phase behavior in the vicinity of room temperature. The phase diagram in the temperature-volume fraction (of the dispersed phase) plane exhibits a lower consolute critical point at about 40 degrees centigrades and 10% volume fraction. A percolation line, starting from the vicinity of the critical point, cuts across the plane, extending to high volume fraction side at progressively lower temperatures. In this paper we review the evidence that allows to interpret the phase behavior of our system in terms of interacting spherical droplets. We also investigate the dynamics of droplets, below and approaching the critical point by dynamic light scattering. The first cumulant and time evolution of the droplet density correlation function can be quantitatively calculated by assuming the existence of polydispersed fractal clusters formed by the microemulsion droplets due to attraction. The relaxation phenomena observed in an extensive set of measurements of electrical conductivity and permittivity close to percolation is also reviewed and interpreted through the same cluster-forming mechanism, which reproduces the most relevant features of the frequency-dependent complex dielectric constant of this system. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994.