Aerosol Synthesis of Fullerene Nanocrystals in Controlled Flow Reactor Conditions

Fullerene nanocrystals in the size range 30–300 nm were produced starting from atomized droplets of C₆₀ in toluene. The experiments were carried out under well-controlled conditions in a laminar flow reactor at temperatures of 20–600°C. Particle transformation and crystallization mechanisms of polydisperse and monodisperse (size classified) fullerene aerosol particles were studied. The results show that fullerene particles are roughly spherical having pores and voids at temperatures of 300°C and below. Particles are already crystalline and likely fine-grained at 20°C and they are polycrystalline at temperatures up to 300°C. At 400°C monodisperse particles evaporate almost completely due to their low mass concentration. Polydisperse particles are crystalline, but sometimes heavily faulted. At 500°C most of the particles are clearly faceted. In certain conditions, almost all particles are hexagonal platelets having planar defects parallel to large (111) faces. We suggest that at 500°C fullerene particles are partially vaporized forming residuals with lamellar defects such as twins and stacking faults, which promote crystal growth during synthesis. Subsequently fullerene vapor is condensed on faces with defects and hexagonal particles are grown by a re-entrant corner growth mechanism. At 600°C particles are single crystals, but they have a less distinct shape due to higher vaporization of fullerene. The final size and shape of the particles are mainly determined at the reactor outlet in the short time when the aerosol cools.     

Stimulated emission of relativistic particles by external sources in spacetime

Explicit solutions are derived for transition amplitudes associated with stimulated emission of relativistic particles by external sources inspacetime. More precisely, exact expressions are obtained for transition amplitudes for any process where there are initially, at a given time, an arbitrary number of particles localized in various regions of space, prior to the switching on of an intervening source, and then, finally, at a later time when the intervening source ceases to operate, a given number of particles are found to be localized in various regions of space. The analysis is given for massive particles ofarbitrary integer and half-integer spins. The solutions are obtained by carrying out a unitarity expansion inconfiguration space, where particles travel between emitters and detectors in the presence of an intervening source. Considered as an application is the process: particlearbitrary number of particles, where the latter particles emerge spatially with a cone.     

Designing Zwitterionic SiO2NH2‐Au Particles with Tunable Patchiness using Wrinkles

A facile template‐based approach toward zwitterionic SiO₂NH₂‐Au patchy particles is presented. Therefore, wrinkle templates prepared by stress release in a bilayer system comprised of an elastic PDMS fundament and a thin SiO_x top layer are used. After aligning positively charged, amine‐functionalized silica particles in wrinkle grooves, their surfaces are partially modified with negatively charged gold nanoparticles in an electrostatic adsorption step. Patchiness is precisely controlled by the degree of immersion of the initial particles into wrinkles of varying dimensions. By ultrasonication or wetting with a water droplet, patchy particles are easily released from the substrate‐yielding particles with two oppositely charged hemispheres. Interfacial tension measurements prove the surface activity of the SiO₂NH₂‐Au particles in an oil/water system and are explained in the view of the Janus‐type surface charges of the particles and the charge of the oil/water interface.     

High‐Strength Sub‐Micrometer Spherical Particles Fabricated by Pulsed Laser Melting in Liquid

Sub‐micrometer spherical particles that are obtained by pulsed laser melting in liquid (PLML) are usually observed to be single crystalline, and it is suggested that they are mechanically very strong. In this study, fracture tests of various sub‐micrometer spherical particles are performed by compressive force application. The results indicate that B₄C and TiO₂ sub‐micrometer spherical particles exhibit brittle fracture behavior under tensile fracture mode at the center of the particles. The fracture strength of the sub‐micrometer spherical particles is larger than that of the bulk material reported in the literature by about one order of magnitude. TiO₂ sub‐micrometer spherical particles obtained by PLML are stronger than the commercially available TiO_x sub‐micrometer spherical particles with a porous structure. In addition, due to the single crystallinity of particles, smaller particles have larger fracture strength, becoming up to 10–40% of ideal tensile fracture strength calculated based on density functional theory. Thus, these results demonstrate that sub‐micrometer spherical particles obtained using PLML exhibit fairly strong and unique mechanical properties, and therefore they are very promising for various mechanical applications at the sub‐micrometer size scale.     

An exact solution for uniformly accelerated particles in general relativity

We present an exact solution of the Einstein empty-space equations referring to four particles in relative motion. The particles move with different uniform accelerations relative to a co-ordinate system which is Minkowskian at infinity, except in certain directions. If positive and negative masses are allowed, the particles can move freely under their own gravitation; if all four masses are positive, stresses extending to infinity are needed to cause the motion, but two of the particles can move freely. There are three results of interest. First, the field can be described in terms of a classical potential which is the average of retarded and advanced potentials corresponding to the particles. Secondly, the field at spatial infinity is entirely different from that of a static mass, and theg _ik fall off like the inversesquare of the distance. Thirdly, the world-lines of free particles are geodesics of the space-time.     

Optical properties of spherical gold mesoparticles

Optical properties of spherical gold particles with diameters of 150–650 nm (mesoparticles) are studied by reflectance spectroscopy. Particles are fabricated by laser-induced transfer of metallic droplets onto metal and dielectric substrates. Contributions of higher multipoles (beyond the quadrupole) in the scattering spectra of individual spherical particles are experimentally observed. These observations are performed for particles in a homogeneous environment and for particles located in air on a metal surface. Good agreement between calculations on the basis of Mie theory and experimental results obtained in homogeneous environment is demonstrated. Multipole resonance features in the experimental reflection spectra of particles located on a gold substrate, in the wavelength range of 500–1000 nm, are discussed and theoretically analyzed on the basis of finite-difference time-domain simulations. High-resolution Raman images of mesoparticle pairs at different polarizations of light are also presented.     

Quaternary fission

Quaternary fission is a nuclear reaction where the two customary fragments from fission are accompanied by two light charged particles. The process has been investigated at the ILL, Grenoble, for thermal neutron induced fission of ²³³U and ²³⁵U. The light particles were identified to be α particles and H isotopes (mostly tritons). Two different types of processes could be disentangled: in one of these processes all four charged particles are born in coincidence while the second process is in fact merely a special case of ternary fission where the ternary particle decays into two charged particles before reaching the detectors.     

Raman study of oxidation-reduction dispersion of silver

We have examined the process of redox dispersion of silver, using a solution simultaneously containing an oxidizing agent (potassium ferricyanide) and a reducing agent (sodium borohydride). We have studied the changes over time in the Raman spectra of the indicated solution when no silver particles are present and when such particles are added to the solution. We have established that the silver particles have a catalytic effect on the reaction between potassium ferricyanide and sodium borohydride, kinetically slowed down in alkaline medium. The original silver particles (1–20 μm) undergo redox dispersion as a result, and Ag particles are formed with sizes 1–10 nm. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 73, No. 2, pp. 182–186, March–April, 2006.     

A combined model for pseudorapidity distributions in p-p collisions at center-of-mass energies from 23.6 to 7000 GeV

In p-p collisions, the charged particles produced consist of two leading particles and those frozen out from the hot and dense matter created in the collisions. The two leading particles are in the projectile and target fragmentation regions, respectively, which, in this paper, are conventionally supposed to have Gaussian rapidity distributions. The hot and dense matter is assumed to expand according to unified hydrodynamics, a hydrodynamic model which unifies the features of the Landau and Hwa-Bjorken models, and freeze out into charged particles from a space-like hypersurface with a fixed proper time of τFO. The rapidity distribution of these charged particles can be derived analytically. The combined contribution from both leading particles and unified hydrodynamics is then compared against experimental data from a now available center-of-mass energy region from 23.6 to 7000 GeV. The model predictions are consistent with experimental measurements.     

Photoluminescent core-shell particles of organic dye in silica

Using a single silica precursor, Rhodamine 6G organic dye molecules have been entrapped in silica particles resulting into core-shell particles of ∼500 nm diameter. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals that dye molecules are trapped inside the silica particles. Photoluminescence investigations show that highly luminescent and photostable core-shell particles are formed. Such core-shell particles can be easily suspended in water and would be useful for a variety of applications. However, there is a blue shift in the photoluminescence wavelength in case of core-shell particles compared to bare dye powder sample.     

Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis of Polymer Nanoparticles in Blood Plasma

A successful drug delivery system must overcome complex biological barriers. For particles injected into the blood, one of the first and most critical barriers pertains to blood stability to circulate through the human body. To effectively design drug delivery vehicles, interactions between the particles and blood, as well as the aggregation behavior, must be understood. This work presents a method to analyze particle size and aggregation in blood plasma using a commercially available nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) system. As a model system, fluorescently labeled polystyrene nanoparticles are incubated in goat blood plasma and analyzed using NTA. The particles incubated in plasma are found to have a protein corona that is larger than what has been observed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) in diluted plasma. Particles that are decorated with a PEG layer are also found to have large protein coronas in undiluted plasma. Because NTA is based on a unique visualization method, large multicomponent aggregates could be observed and quantified in a manner not feasible with other techniques. PEGylation of the particles is found to decrease the multicomponent aggregation from 1000 ± 200 particles for unmodified to 200 ± 30 particles for 1K PEGylated per 1 × 10⁵ total particles.     

空间散斑场捕获大量吸光性颗粒及其红外显微观测

光镊技术被广泛应用于捕获和操纵微纳米尺寸颗粒,主要包括捕获水中透明性颗粒和空气中吸光性颗粒两种类型.本文用激光束照射毛玻璃散射片,透射光经透镜会聚后在透镜的像平面附近产生了主观散斑场.该散斑场为空间分布,包含大量的亮斑和暗斑.大量由亮斑包围的暗斑如同一个个空间能量陷阱,被用来捕获大量的吸光性墨粉颗粒,被捕获颗粒的尺寸约2—8μm,密度约1—2 g/cm3.采用红外显微镜拍摄到空间散斑场捕获颗粒的红外像,红外图像显示被捕获颗粒吸光后温度升高,证实了空间散斑场捕获吸光性颗粒的机理为光泳力原理.     

Instability and melting of a crystal of microscopic particles in a radio-frequency discharge plasma

The development of instability, heating, and melting of a two-layer crystal of dust particles in the sheath of a radio-frequency discharge has been studied by the method of Langevin molecular dynamics. The interaction forces between particles are determined in terms of a model developed earlier, in which the ion clouds under the upper particles are replaced by effective point charges. Both a pure Coulomb interaction and a screened interaction are considered. Various regimes of particle motion in the crystal are discussed. The experimental and calculated results for the mean energy of particles and the number of defects in the crystals are compared. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1672–1690 (November 1998)     

On the influence of the trapping of particles on the beam-plasma interaction

Interaction of the trapped beam particles with spectrum is discussed in the paper. In models of particles in two waves and in a spectrum (with given amplitudes) we discuss partly well trapped particles (in the region of harmonic oscillations), partly weakly trapped particles near the separatrix; further, we discuss the range of resonances, the transport of energy and a possibility of transition of the trapped beam into the quasiergodic state. For the case of a discrete spectrum, conditions for the beam diffusion are given and, within the framework of system with mixing, conditions for existence of hf field-beam particles balance are discussed.Nademlýnská 600, Praha 9, Czechoslovakia.     

Combustion of micron-sized particles of titanium and zirconium

Particles of titanium and zirconium in the size range of 2–25 μm are ignited while passing through a CO₂ laser beam and their combustion is monitored optically. Prior to ignition, particles pass through a low-power auxiliary laser beam so that the diameter of each ignited particle is measured in situ based on the amplitude of the scattered light pulse. The particles of both Ti and Zr are observed to exhibit micro explosions, similar to those observed for larger size particles of these metals. Particle emission traces are recorded, and a data processing routine is established for discounting emission signals produced by unignited particles and particles partially combusted within the CO₂ laser beam. Burn times and combustion temperatures are measured and compared to earlier measurements for coarser particles of the same metals. For both metals, average combustion temperatures implied by the emission spectra are very close to their respective adiabatic flame temperatures. For both metals, for the particle size range considered, particle combustion temperatures do not depend on the particle size. The particle burn times were found to be only weak functions of the particle size; burn times for Zr are shorter and temperatures are higher compared to the similarly sized Ti particles.     

Bending properties of two- and three-dimensional-shaped nanoparticles fabricated via substrate conformal imprint lithography

Nanoimprinting enables the implementation of nanoparticle shapes with complex 2D shapes involving different materials. In addition to these objects, this article presents 3D-shaped nanoparticles fabricated by substrate conformal imprint technique. The imprint polymer AMONIL is used either in pure form or in combination with fluorescent dyes for the preparation of particles. The substrate conformal imprint lithography process, including etching and particle release, is conducted for both materials in a similar fashion. In this work, cuboidal particles with a high aspect ratio (1:120) are compared to particles with a T-shaped cross section with respect to their abilities to enhance or reduce their stiffness. Additionally, particles with a high aspect ratio are compared to particles with a lower aspect ratio (1:20). The local stiffness is found to depend strongly on the particle thickness and the geometry of their cross section. Thicker and 3D T-shaped particles present higher local stiffness than thinner and 2D cuboidal-shaped particles. The local bending angle was determined to be 77° for 2D-shaped particles and 83° for 3D-shaped particles, of the same total height of 176 nm. Very thin particles (<50 nm) of high aspect ratio prefer to curl finally forming loops.     

Monte Carlo calculation of the magnetization behavior and the magnetocaloric effect of interacting particles

The magnetization behavior and the magnetic entropy change of a system made up of ferromagnetically interacting particles are calculated by using Monte Carlo simulation. The effect of the magnetic anisotropy of particles and the dipolar–dipolar interaction between particles on the magnetization and the magnetic entropy change of the system are discussed. It is found that there is no spontaneous magnetization, both the magnetic anisotropy of particles and the dipolar–dipolar interaction between particles restrains the system's magnetizing in the external magnetic field. The magnetic entropy change decreases with the increase in temperature in the system without the dipolar–dipolar interaction; however, the dipolar–dipolar interaction between particles makes the magnetic entropy change of the system have maximum value at low temperatures.     

Flame synthesis of superparamagnetic Fe/Nb nanocomposites for biomedical applications

Iron/niobium nanocomposite particles are produced using the sodium flame and encapsulation (SFE) process. Ferrocene is added to the vapor-phase metal halide/sodium reaction to produce metallic iron particles encapsulated in niobium. To accomplish this, the ferrocene is combined with niobium chloride vapor and this mixture is injected as a turbulent jet into a stream of sodium vapor. The ferrocene is expected to decompose upstream of the flame to form iron particles, which pass through the niobium chloride-sodium reaction zone wherein they are encapsulated in niobium. The salt byproduct then encapsulates these particles, preventing oxidation. The as-produced Fe/Nb particles were found to contain Fe particles that are less than 15 nm in diameter and are superparamagnetic with a coercivity of 50 Oe and a saturation magnetization of over 200 emu/g of Fe. In addition to possessing a strong magnetic response and small remnant magnetization, the iron/niobium composite particles are expected to be biocompatible and X-ray opaque. Consequently, these materials hold promise for magnetic navigation in biomedical applications.     

Correlation effects of two interacting particles in a circular billiard

The maximal Lyapunov exponent is determined numerically for two classical unequal-mass interacting particles inside a circular billiard and subjected to a static magnetic field. A Yukawa potential is used for the interaction between the particles. Transitions from short to long interaction ranges and from equal to infinite mass ratio between particles are discussed. Correlations effects between particles strongly determine the dynamics inside the billiard. A qualitative change in the Lyapunov exponent dependence on the interaction range between particles is observed by the transition from weak to strong couplings. Poincaré surfaces of section are also used to describe the dynamics in the limit of infinite mass ratio.     

Synthesis and characterization of polymer encapsulated Cu–Ni magnetic nanoparticles for hyperthermia applications

Copper nickel alloy nanoparticles were synthesized by polyol reduction method and by physical melting process. The particles were further coated with a biodegradable polymer, polyethylene glycol. The particles have a curie temperature in the range of 43–46 °C and are designed to be used for hyperthermia applications. Morphology of these encapsulated particles was determined by electron microscopy. The curie temperature for alloy particles and encapsulated particles was also measured.