Preparation of surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on magnetic core/shell Fe3O4/SiO2 and Fe3O4/Ag/SiO2 nanoparticles

In this paper, surface plasmon resonance biosensors based on magnetic core/shell Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag/SiO(2) nanoparticles were developed for immunoassay. With Fe(3)O(4) and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag nanoparticles being used as seeding materials, Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag/SiO(2) nanoparticles were formed by hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate. The aldehyde group functionalized magnetic nanoparticles provide organic functionality for bioconjugation. The products were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), FTIR and UV-vis absorption spectrometry. The magnetic nanoparticles possess the unique superparamagnetism property, exceptional optical properties and good compatibilities, and could be used as immobilization matrix for goat anti-rabbit IgG. The magnetic nanoparticles can be easily immobilized on the surface of SPR biosensor chip by a magnetic pillar. The effects of Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag/SiO(2) nanoparticles on the sensitivity of SPR biosensors were also investigated. As a result, the SPR biosensors based on Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) nanoparticles and Fe(3)O(4)/Ag/SiO(2) nanoparticles exhibit a response for rabbit IgG in the concentration range of 1.25-20.00 μg ml(-1) and 0.30-20.00 μg ml(-1), respectively.     

Unlabeled multi tumor marker detection system based on bioinitiated light addressable potentiometric sensor

Multi biomarkers' assays are of great significance in clinical diagnosis. A label-free multi tumor markers' parallel detection system was proposed based on a light addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS). Arrayed LAPS chips with basic structure of Si(3)N(4)-SiO(2)-Si were prepared on silicon wafers, and the label-free parallel detection system for this component was developed with user friendly controlling interfaces. Then the l-3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-alanine (L-Dopa) hydrochloric solution was used to initiate the surface of LAPS. The L-Dopa immobilization state was investigated by the theoretical calculation. L-Dopa initiated LAPS' chip was biofunctionalized respectively by the antigens and antibodies of four tumor markers, α-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and Ferritin. Then unlabeled antibodies and antigens of these four biomarkers were detected by the proposed detection systems. Furthermore physical and measuring principles in this system were described, and qualitative understanding for experimental data were given. The measured response ranges were compared with their clinical cutoff values, and sensitivities were calculated by OriginLab. The results indicate that this bioinitiated LAPS based label-free detection system may offer a new choice for the realization of unlabeled multi tumor markers' clinical assay.     

Orientation Ordering of Nanoparticle Ag/Co Cores Controlled by Electric and Magnetic Fields

The effect of electric and magnetic fields on the sandwich structure Pt/hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H)/stearic acid monolayer/Langmuir–Blodgett film of Ag/Co nanoparticles encapsulated in an organic envelope is studied. This structure is used as a working electrode in an electrochemical cell filled with NaCl solution (1 mM ) and equipped with an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Reversible changes in voltammograms are observed due to treatments (negative or positive bias voltage and simultaneous laser irradiation) applied to the designed structure before measurements. As an explanation of the observed phenomena we suggest that both the Co‐up and Ag‐up (on the a‐Si:H surface) orientation orderings of nanoparticle Ag/Co cores are repeatedly reached. The role of the photovoltaic material (a‐Si:H) in the observed behavior is explained. Voltammetric measurements with an applied magnetic field support our idea about the orientation ordering of nanoparticle cores.     

Low emissivity Ag/Si/glass thin films deposited by sputtering

Si was deposited on the glass substrate as an interlayer for the 2-D growth of Ag thin films because Si has a strong binding energy against Ag and can lead to a negative surface energy change in Ag/glass. The Si interlayer induced an extremely smooth and flat Ag surface, which effectively reduced the resistance and enhanced the reflectance in the IR region. In particular, Ag (9 nm)/Si (3 nm)/glass showed 0.074 emissivity and ∼91% reflectance in the IR region with 67% transmittance in the visible region.     

Optimization of high-performance blue organic light-emitting diodes containing tetraphenylsilane molecular glass materials

Molecular glass material (4-(5-(4-(diphenylamino)phenyl)-2-oxadiazolyl)phenyl)triphenylsilane (Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD)) was used as the blue light-emitting material in the fabrication of high-performance organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In the optimization of performance, five types of OLEDs were constructed from Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD): device I, ITO/NPB/Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD)/Alq(3)/Mg:Ag, where NPB and Alq(3) are 1,4-bis(1-naphylphenylamino)biphenyl and tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum, respectively; device II, ITO/NPB/Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD)/TPBI/Mg:Ag, where TPBI is 1,3,5-tris(N-phenylbenzimidazol-2-yl)benzene; device III, ITO/Ph(2)Si(Ph(NPA)(2))(2)/Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD)/TPBI/Mg:Ag, where Ph(2)Si(Ph(NPA)(2))(2) is bis(3,5-bis(1-naphylphenylamino)phenyl)-diphenylsilane, a newly synthesized tetraphenylsilane-containing triarylamine as hole-transporting material; device IV, ITO/Ph(2)Si(Ph(NPA)(2))(2)/NPB/Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD)/TPBI/Mg:Ag; device V, ITO/CuPc/NPB /Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD)/Alq(3)/LiF/Al, where CuPc is Cu(II) phthalocyanine. Device performances, including blue color purity, electroluminescence (EL) intensity, current density, and efficiency, vary drastically by changing the device thickness (100-600 A of the light-emitting layer) and materials for hole-transporting layer (NPB and/or Ph(2)Si(Ph(NPA)(2))(2)) or electron-transporting material (Alq(3) or TPBI). One of the superior OLEDs is device IV, showing maximum EL near 19 000 cd/m(2) with relatively low current density of 674 mA/cm(2) (or near 3000 cd/m(2) at 100 mA/cm(2)) and high external quantum efficiency of 2.4% (1.1 lm/W or 3.1 cd/A). The device possesses good blue color purity with EL emission maximum (lambda(max)(EL)) at 460 nm, corresponding to (0.16, 0.18) of blue color chromaticity on CIE coordinates. In addition, the device is reasonably stable and sustains heating over 100 degrees C with no loss of luminance on the basis of the annealing data for device V. Formation of the exciplex at the interface of NPB and Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD) layers is verified by EL and photoluminescence (PL) spectra studies on the devices with a combination of different charge transporting materials. The EL due to the exciplex (lambda(max)(EL) at 490-510 nm) can be properly avoided by using a 200 A layer of Ph(3)Si(PhTPAOXD) in device I, which limits the charge-recombination zone away from the interface area.     

Photocurrent measurements for laterally resolved interface characterization

A miniaturized optical set-up based on a CD-ROM player optic was developed for LAPS (light addressable potentiometric sensors). A focus of 2.6 μm was achieved using this easy to handle device. The lateral resolution of LAPS measurements can be improved by using GaAs as the semiconductor material instead of Si. The diffusion length of the minority charge carriers was determined to be smaller than 3.1 μm. A new method called SPIM (scanning photo-induced impedance microscopy) is described. Using this technique, the impedance of thin films can be measured with lateral resolution.     

Photocurrent measurements for laterally resolved interface characterization

A miniaturized optical set-up based on a CD-ROM player optic was developed for LAPS (light addressable potentiometric sensors). A focus of 2.6 microm was achieved using this easy to handle device. The lateral resolution of LAPS measurements can be improved by using GaAs as the semiconductor material instead of Si. The diffusion length of the minority charge carriers was determined to be smaller than 3.1 microm. A new method called SPIM (scanning photo-induced impedance microscopy) is described. Using this technique, the impedance of thin films can be measured with lateral resolution.     

Directing the growth of highly aligned gold nanorods through a surface chemical amidation reaction

This paper describes the seed-mediated growth of highly aligned gold nanorods (Au NRs) over large areas directly on a Si(100) surface. The Si(100) surface is NH2-functionalized with (aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) followed by a DCC-catalyzed surface amidation reaction with acetic acid. After exposure to a gold nanoparticle (Au NP) "seed" solution, chemical seed-mediated growth of the surface-bound seeds via reduction of AuCl4- by ascorbic acid in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide leads to the growth of highly aligned Au NRs on the surface. About 80% of the NRs are aligned in the same direction within a +/-30 degrees range. Au NRs account for 19% of the nanostructures with average aspect ratio (AR) of approximately 20. The alignment direction did not correlate with the atomic arrangement of the Si(100) crystal since it varied over different regions of the sample, rotating by 90 degrees from top to bottom of an approximately 5 mm sample. Si crystallinity may still be important since alignment is not observed on amorphous glass. Surface functionalization is the key since alignment is only observed following the amidation reaction and not on NH2-functionalized, SH-functionalized, or bare Si(100) surfaces. Alignment also occurred for Au NRs grown on Si(100)/APTES reacted with succinic acid and on Ag NRs grown on Si(100)/APTES/acetic acid surfaces. This unique alignment of metal NRs promoted by a surface amidation chemical reaction may find use in nanoelectronics, chemical sensing, and plasmonics applications.     

Anisotropy analysis of energy in Ag/Si twist interface

The energies in three combinations of Ag(001)/Si(111), Ag(011)/Si(111) and Ag(111)/Si(111) twist boundaries have been calculated using the modified embedded atom method (MEAM). The results show that the interface energies corresponding to Ag(111)/Si(111), Ag(001)/Si(111) and Ag(011)/Si(111) increase successively and the lowest energies 365, 717.7 and 996.1 mJ m^?2 corresponding to each interface appear at twist angles θ of 30, 0 and 25.24°, respectively. Considering minimization of interface energy, we can conclude that the Ag films deposited on Si(111) substrate will result in a (111) preferred orientation, especially at a twist angle of θ = 30°. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seeded-growth approach to fabrication of silver nanoparticle films on silicon for electrochemical ATR surface-enhanced IR absorption spectroscopy

Ag nanoparticle films (simplified as nanofilms hereafter) on Si for electrochemical ATR surface enhanced IR absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) have been successfully fabricated by using chemical deposition, which incorporates initial embedding of Ag seeds on the reflecting plane of an ATR Si prism and subsequent chemical plating of conductive and SEIRA-active Ag nanofilms. Two alternative methods for embedding initial Ag seeds have been developed: one is based on self-assembly of Ag colloids on an aminosilanized Si surface, whereas the other the reduction of Ag+ in a HF-containing solution. A modified silver-mirror reaction was employed for further growth of Ag seeds into Ag nanofilm electrodes with a theoretically average thickness of 40-50 nm. Both Ag seeds and as-deposited Ag nanofilms display island structure morphologies facilitating SEIRA, as revealed by AFM imaging. The cyclic voltammetric feature of the as-prepared Ag nanofilm electrodes is close to that of a polycrystalline bulk Ag electrode. With thiocyanate as a surface probe, enhancement factors of ca. 50-80 were estimated for the as-deposited Ag nanofilms as compared to a mechanically polished Ag electrode in the conventional IRAS after reasonable calibration of surface roughness factor, incident angles, surface coverage, and polarization states. As a preliminary example for extended application, the pyridine adsorption configuration at an as-deposited Ag electrode was re-examined by ATR-SEIRAS. The results revealed that pyridine molecules are bound via N end to the Ag electrode with its ring plane perpendicular or slightly tilted to the local surface without rotating its C2 axis about the surface normal, consistent with the conclusion drawn by SERS in the literature.     

Photodeposition of Ag2S quantum dots and application to photoelectrochemical cells for hydrogen production under simulated sunlight

UV light irradiation of TiO(2) (λ > 320 nm) in a mixed solution of AgNO(3) and S(8) has led to the formation of Ag(2)S quantum dots (QDs) on TiO(2), while Ag nanoparticles (NPs) are photodeposited without S(8). Photoelectrochemical measurements indicated that the Ag(2)S photodeposition proceeds via the preferential reduction of Ag(+) ions to Ag(0), followed by the chemical reaction with S(8). The application of this in situ photodeposition technique to mesoporous (mp) TiO(2) nanocrystalline films coated on fluorine-doped SnO(2) (FTO) electrodes enables formation of Ag(2)S QDs (Ag(2)S/mp-TiO(2)/FTO). Ag(2)S/mp-TiO(2)/FTO has the interband transition absorption in the whole visible region, while in the spectrum of Ag/mp-TiO(2)/FTO, a localized surface plasmon resonance absorption of Ag NPs is present centered at 490 nm. Ag(2)S QD-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells using the Ag(2)S/mp-TiO(2)/FTO and Ag/mp-TiO(2)/FTO photoanodes were fabricated. Under illumination of one sun, the Ag(2)S photoanode cell yielded H(2) at a rate of 0.8 mL·h(-1) with a total conversion efficiency of 0.29%, whereas the Ag/mp-TiO(2)/FTO photoanode is inactive.     

Image detection of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by light-addressable potentiometric sensors (LAPS)

A light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) was developed for the image detection of multilayer yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By modifying silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) with a monolayer of 1,8-nonadiyne, an inert LAPS substrate, insensitive to pH was obtained. Low gelling temperature agarose gel was shown to be an effective immobilization reagent for yeast cells in LAPS measurements without causing a background signal. The photocurrent images obtained were shown to be induced by the surface negative charge and the local impedance of the yeast cells.     

Total attenuated reflection infrared analysis of silicon-stabilized tri-calcium phosphate

Bioceramics based on silicon stabilized tricalcium phosphate [Si-TCP] have been investigated by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy using an experimental preparation that ensures consistent high-quality spectral data. Phase normalized measurements show that changes in OH bands are primarily due to a decrease in the hydroxyapatite content; however, a band at 945 cm(-1) associated with dehydration of the apatite is visible and correlated with silicon doping. Changes in absorption bands with Si content associated with PO(4)(3-) differ for SiO(2) doping levels less than and greater than 0.2 mol of SiO(2)/mol of HA as the amount of Si-TCP phase saturates. Increased resolution allows the study of weak bands linked to Si at 668, 800, 863, and 892 cm(-1) and suggests that the loss of PO(4)(3-) coincides with the development of different silicate groups-SiO(4) at lower doping levels and a new silicon species at higher doping.     

Amperometric biosensors based on alumina nanoparticles-chitosan-horseradish peroxidase nanobiocomposites for the determination of phenolic compounds

A horseradish peroxidase (HRP) biosensor based on alumina (Al(2)O(3)) nanoparticles-chitosan (CHIT) nanocomposites was developed for the detection of phenolic compounds. UV-Vis spectra and Fourier transform infrared spectra showed that HRP retained its original structure on the Al(2)O(3)/CHIT film. The surface morphologies of the composite films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry were used to study the proposed electrochemical biosensor. Optimization of the experimental parameters was performed with regard to pH, applied electrode potential and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide. The linear range, sensitivity and detection limit of the biosensor were investigated for eight phenolic compounds. In particular, the linearity of the biosensor for the detection of hydroquinone was obtained from 5 × 10(-9) M to 7 × 10(-5) M with a detection limit of 1 nM (based on the S/N = 3). The optimized biosensor for hydroquinone determination displayed a high sensitivity of 518.4 nA μM(-1) with a response time of ～5 s.     

Li_4Ti_5O_(12)/(Ag+C)极材料的固相合成及电化学性能

以Li_2CO_3,TiO_2为原料,葡萄糖为碳源,采用固相煅烧工艺合成了亚微米级的Li_4Ti_5O_(12)/C复合负极材料.并将之与AgNO_3复合,采用固相方法制备出了Ag表面修饰的Li_4Ti_5O_(12)(AG+C)复合材料.采用XRD、SEM和TEM测试方法对材料的微结构进行了表征.结果表明,C的存在对Ag单质在Li_4Ti_5O_(12)/C颗粒表面的大量形成起到了积极的促进作用.从而很大程度地提高了Li_4Ti_5O_(12)/C的电导率,因此有效地改善了其电化学性能.在1C倍率下,Li_4Ti_5O_(12)/(Ag+C)复合材料的首次放电容量达到了164 mAh·g(-1).     

Theoretical Investigation on the Adsorption of Ag^＋ and Hydrated Ag^＋ Cations on Clean Si（111） Surface

In this paper, the adsorption of Ag^＋ and hydrated Ag^＋ cations on clean Si（111） surface were investigated by using cluster （Gaussian 03） and periodic （DMol^3） ab initio calculations. Si（111） surface was described with cluster models （Si14H17 and Si22H21） and a four-silicon layer slab with periodic boundary conditions. The effect of basis set superposition error （BSSE） was taken into account by applying the counterpoise correction. The calculated results indicated that the binding energies between hydrated Ag^＋ cations and clean Si（111） surface are large, suggesting a strong interaction between hydrated Ag^＋ cations and the semiconductor surface. With the increase of number, water molecules form hydrogen bond network with one another and only one water molecule binds directly to the Ag^＋ cation. The Ag^＋ cation in aqueous solution will safely attach to the clean Si（111） surface.     

In-situ FTIR studies on self-assembled monolayers of surfactant molecules adsorbed on H-terminated Si(111) surfaces in aqueous solutions

The adsorption of a surfactant, sodium di-2-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate (SDES), [C4H9CH(C2H5)CH2OCO][C4H9CH(C2H5)CH2OCOCH2]CHSO3- Na+, in an aqueous solution on an atomically flat H-terminated Si(111) [abbreviated as H-Si(111)] surface with a hydrophobic property was investigated by in-situ FTIR measurements. Immersion of the H-Si(111) surface in a solution of 1.0 x 10(-2) M SDES for more than 2 h led to formation of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with the alkyl chains having a tendency to be assembled perpendicular to the Si surface. The in-situ FTIR observation revealed that the adsorption was nearly complete about 60 min after the start of the immersion, and after that the adsorbed molecules changed their arrangement into an ordered mode. The Si-H peak in the FTIR spectrum remained unchanged with time in aqueous surfactant solution, in contrast to the case of immersion in pure water, indicating that the adsorbed surfactant protects the H-Si(111) surface from oxidation. No structural change in the SAM was observed when a negative potential of -700 mV vs Ag/AgCl was applied to the Si, whereas the adsorbed molecules changed their arrangement, accompanied by their substantial desorption and oxidation of the Si surface, when a positive potential of +700 mV was applied.     

Sandwich-shaped silver(I) metallomacrocycles encapsulating a XF6(2-) (X = Si, Ge and Sn) anion

A series of sandwich-shaped complexes based on two square tetranuclear Ag(I) metallomacrocycles, [[Ag4(pprd)4]2(XF6)]-(BF4)6.8MeNO2 (pprd = 4-(2-pyridyl)pyrimidine; X = Si, Ge and Sn), in which a XF6(2-) anion is encapsulated, were prepared and their structures were characterized both in the solid state and solution.     

硅电极/溶液界面开路电位-时间谱和原子力显微镜在化学镀Ag中的应用研究

用开路电位-时间谱技术,表征了在硅（100）表面化学镀银的硅电极/溶液界 面吸附态。所得结果与原子力显微镜在纳米尺寸上的面结构信息分析结果作了对比 。同时也将该结果与循环伏安法（CV）结果作了比较。证明当硅电极表面具有单层 吸附Ag~+离子、表面单层吸附Ag~+离子发生沉积反应、Ag~+离子发生本体沉积时的 开路电位-时间曲线有完全不同的特征。