Structural features of molecular-colloidal solutions of C60 fullerenes in water by small-angle neutron scattering

Highly stable and reproducible molecular-colloidal water solutions of C60 fullerenes (FWS) obtained by transferring fullerenes from an organic solution into an aqueous phase with the help of ultrasonic treatment are investigated by means of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). A polydispersity in the size of detected particles up to 84 nm is revealed. These particles are slightly anisotropic and have a characteristic size of approximately 70 nm. Along with it, there are some indications that a significant part of fullerenes composes particles with the size of the order of 1 nm. The contrast variation based on mixtures of light and heavy water shows that the mean scattering length density of the particles is close to that of the packed fullerene associates as well as that the characteristic size of possible fluctuations of the scattering length density within the particles does not exceed 2 nm. A smooth surface resulting in the Porod law for the scattering is detected. A number of models discussed in the literature are considered with respect to the SANS data.     

Bimodal Size Distribution of Gold Nanoparticles under Picosecond Laser Pulses

The evolution of size distributions of gold nanoparticles under pulsed laser irradiation (Nd:YAG, lambda = 355 nm, pulse width 30 ps) was carefully observed by transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, the initial monomodal size distribution of gold nanoparticles turned into a bimodal one, with two peaks in the number of particles, one at 6 nm and the other at 16-24 nm. The sizes for small particles depended very little on the irradiated laser energy. This change is attributed to laser-induced size reduction of the initial gold nanoparticles followed by the formation of small particles. In our analysis, we extracted a characteristic value for the size-reduction rate per one pulse and revealed that laser-induced size reduction of gold nanoparticles occurred even below the boiling point. When laser energy is insufficient for the boiling of particles, formation of gold vapor around liquid gold drops is thought to cause the phenomenon. With enough laser energy for the boiling, the formation of gold vapor around and inside liquid gold drops is responsible for the phenomenon. We also observed particles with gold strings after one pulse irradiation with a laser energy of 43 mJ cm(-2) pulse(-1), which is sufficient energy for the boiling. It is considered that such particles with gold strings are formed by the projection of gaseous gold from liquid gold drops with some volume of liquid gold around the bubble. On the basis of comparison with previous work, picosecond laser pulses are thought to be the most efficient way to cause laser-induced size reduction of gold nanoparticles.     

聚丙烯酰胺凝胶法合成TbFeO3 纳米颗粒及其可见光催化活性

采用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶法制备了TbFeO3纳米颗粒, 研究了不同络合剂对样品的纯度、 颗粒尺寸及形貌的影响. XRD分析结果表明, 以酒石酸、 柠檬酸或乙二胺四乙酸(EDTA)为络合剂, 在650 ℃下烧结均可制备出单相TbFeO3纳米颗粒, 但产物的平均粒径不同; 而采用乙酸或草酸为络合剂则难以制得纯相样品. SEM观测结果表明, 以酒石酸为络合剂制备的颗粒细小, 均匀、 形貌规整、 呈球状, 平均粒径约为50 nm; 以柠檬酸为络合剂制备的颗粒主要以近球形为主, 颗粒的尺寸分布相对较宽, 平均粒径约为100 nm; 以EDTA为络合剂制备的颗粒主要呈椭球状, 颗粒尺寸较均匀, 但颗粒间存在不同程度的黏连现象, 平均粒径约为110 nm. 这3种样品的BET比表面积分别为15.4, 8.3和6.8 m2/g. 紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱研究表明, TbFeO3纳米颗粒的带隙为1.95~1.98 eV. 分别以甲基橙(MO)、 罗丹明B(RhB)、 亚甲基蓝(MB)、 酸性品红(AF)和刚果红(CR)5种有机染料为目标降解物, 考察了TbFeO3颗粒的光催化活性. 结果表明, 在可见光辐照下颗粒表现出良好的光催化活性, 其中, 以酒石酸为络合剂制备的样品光催化效果最好.     

Homogeneous Precipitation of Uniform alpha-Fe2O3 Particles from Iron Salts Solutions in the Presence of Urea

Uniform alpha-Fe2O3 particles within the nanometer range (100-300 nm) have been obtained by precipitation of iron (III) perchlorate in the presence of urea. Different morphology, from spheres to ellipsoidal particles with axial ratio up to approximately 10, was obtained by adding to the initial solution increasing amounts of phosphate anions up to 7 x 10(-3) M. The main targets of this work are the reduction in particle size and precipitation time and the increase of the particles axial ratio, keeping a narrow particle size distribution, in comparison to other methods previously developed to obtain homogenous alpha-Fe2O3 particles. A detailed analysis of the reaction products and a systematic study of the influence of the different precipitation conditions on the characteristics of the resulting particles have been carried out. Finally, some information on the formation mechanism of the ellipsoidal hematite particles in the iron (III) salt-urea-phosphate system is also given. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Design and Synthesis of Transparent Poly （acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene） and Relationship Between Its Phase Construction and Transparency

IntroductionABS resins have been widely applied to the field ofengineering materials because of their excellent me-chanical,electrical,physical,and chemical proper-ties.Typically,ABS resins comprise a rigid copolymermatrix-phase dispersed in a graft copol…     

Preparation of fluorescent particles with long excitation and emission wavelengths dispersible in organic solvents

We introduce a fast and simple one-step method, a variation of the methods of Barrett and Campbell and Bartlett, to synthesize monodisperse fluorescent particles that can be dispersed in organic solvents and have long excitation (649 nm) and emission wavelengths (679 nm). A lipophilic fluorescent dye, 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindodicarbocyanine perchlorate, is directly incorporated into PMMA particles through dispersion polymerization. A poly(hydroxystearic acid) graft (poly) methyl methacrylate (MM) and methacrylic acid (MA) copolymer is used as a stabilizer to prevent the particles from aggregating and flocculating in the nonaqueous solvents. The fluorescent PMMA particles are very uniform in size, bleach at very low rate, and behave like hard spheres in their ordering on substrates. One important achievement in our synthesis protocol is that we are able to produce particles of a desired size by choosing the composition of the reactants according to a predetermined relationship between particle size and composition of reactants. In addition, the effects of fluorescent dye and polar solvent (ethanol) on the formation and size of particles are discussed.     

纳米金刚石解团聚的一种新方法——石墨化-氧化法

用炸药爆炸法制备的纳米金刚石(ND)是由直径为4～6 nm的金刚石微晶粒组成，但这种纳米晶粒相互团聚，形成尺寸大得多的团聚体，至今尚未找到很有效的解团聚方法.该文提出了一种可用于这种纳米金刚石解团聚的新方法——石墨化－氧化法.将纳米金刚石粉在氮气中1 000 ℃加热1 h，这时纳米颗粒表面和界面上生成石墨层，再用在空气中450 ℃氧化的方法，将界面上的石墨层除去.将经过这样处理后的样品放入水中用超声波分散后，超过50％（质量百分数）的金刚石颗粒可以被分散到直径小于50 nm.可见这种方法对纳米金刚石的解团聚有一定的效果.但是同时也生成了一部分尺寸更大的团聚体，认为可能是生成了颗粒间的C-O-C键，需要进一步用适当的化学方法进行解离.对这一过程的机理进行了初步讨论.     

Effect of Particle Size on Rate of Coalescence of Silica Nanoparticles

In high temperature processes, at high concentrations, aerosol particles grow by collisions and coalescence. The rate of coalescence is an important parameter for predicting the final primary particle size. For some materials, particularly silica, predictions of final primary particle size using coalescence rates based upon bulk material properties are not in agreement with experimental results. One explanation may be that the high internal pressure in very small particles (less than 10 nm in diameter) affects the mobility of material within the particles and hence the coalescence rate. In this Note, a new approach for estimating rates of coalescence of particles in the initial stages of growth is presented. Coalescence of liquid particles is assumed to be rate-limited by atomic mobility, and the effect of internal pressure on diffusivity is considered. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Photochemical interaction of polystyrene nanospheres with 193 nm pulsed laser light

The photochemical interaction of 193 nm light with polystyrene nanospheres is used to produce particles with a controlled size and morphology. Laser fluences from 0 to 0.14 J/cm2 at 10 and 50 Hz photofragment nearly monodisperse 110 nm spherical polystyrene particles. The size distributions before and after irradiation are measured with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), and the morphology of the irradiated particles is examined with a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that the irradiated particles have a smaller mean diameter ( approximately 25 nm) and a number concentration more than an order of magnitude higher than nonirradiated particles. The particles are formed by nucleation of gas-phase species produced by photolytic decomposition of nanospheres. A nondimensional parameter, the photon-to-atom ratio (PAR), is used to interpret the laser-particle interaction energetics.     

Optical properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles and nanorods synthesized using an organometallic method.

The emission properties of nanocrystalline ZnO particles prepared following an organometallic synthetic method are investigated. Spherical particles and nanorods are studied. The shape of the particles and the ligands used are shown to influence the luminescence properties in the visible domain. Two different emissions are observed at 440 nm (approximately 2.82 eV) and at 580 nm (approximately 2.14 eV) that are associated with the presence of surface defects on the particles. The first emission corresponds to the well-known yellow emission located at 580 nm (approximately 2.14 eV) with a lifetime of 1850 ns for 4.0 nm size ZnO nanoparticles. The second emission at 440 nm (approximately 2.82 eV) is observed when amine functions are present. This strong blue emission is associated with an excitation energy less than that associated with the yellow emission displaying a lifetime of nine nanoseconds. A possible hole trapping effect by the amine groups on the surface of the ZnO particles is discussed as the origin of this emission. The modification of the intensities between the two visible emissions for different particle shapes is proposed to be related to a specific location of the amine ligands on the surface of the particles.     

Platinum nanoparticles on carbon nanomaterials with graphene structure as hydrogenation catalysts

Carbon nanomaterials with graphene structure (single- and multiwall nanotubes and nanofibers) after oxidizing by a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids and presumable introducing of carboxyl groups can be used as carrying agents of hydrogenation catalysts. Platinum in a concentration which should not exceed 10 wt % can be fixed using H₂PtCl₆ as a precursor in presence of an organic base. Catalysts based on these nanomaterials with the average size of platinum particles 6–8 nm exceed in activity the Pt/C catalyst with the size of platinum particles 65–70 nm, but are inferior to catalysts based on fullerene black with the average size of platinum particles 3–4 nm.     

Iron oxyhydroxide colloid formation by gamma-radiolysis

Gamma-irradiation of deaerated aqueous solutions containing FeSO(4) leads to the formation of uniform-sized colloidal particles of γ-FeOOH. At short irradiation times, or in solutions with a low initial [Fe(2+)](0), spherical particles with a size less than 10 nm are formed. These primary particles grow to form a dendritic structure upon longer irradiation, and the final size of the large particles is ～60 nm with a very narrow size distribution. Further prolonged irradiation does not change the final particle size. The narrow size distribution is attributed to rapid homogeneous radiolytic oxidation of soluble Fe(2+) to relatively insoluble Fe(3+) hydroxides [Fe(H(2)O)(6-n)(OH)(n)](3-n) leading to particle nucleation by spontaneous condensation. These primary particles then grow into γ-FeOOH particles with a dendritic structure. The final size reached at long times is regulated by the steady-state redox conditions established during long-term irradiation at the aqueous-solid interface.     

Monodisperse and core-shell-structured SiO2@YBO3:Eu3+ spherical particles: synthesis and characterization

Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 phosphor layers were deposited on monodisperse SiO2 particles of different sizes (300, 570, 900, and 1200 nm) via a sol-gel process, resulting in the formation of core-shell-structured SiO2@Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 particles. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL), and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra as well as lifetimes were employed to characterize the resulting composite particles. The results of XRD, FE-SEM, and TEM indicate that the 800 degrees C annealed sample consists of crystalline YBO3 shells and amorphous SiO2 cores, in spherical shape with a narrow size distribution. Under UV (240 nm) and VUV (172 nm) light or electron beam (1-6 kV) excitation, these particles show the characteristic 5D0-7F1-4 orange-red emission lines of Eu3+ with a quantum yield ranging from 36% (one-layer Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 on SiO2) to 54% (four-layer Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 on SiO2). The luminescence properties (emission intensity and color coordinates) of Eu3+ ions in the core-shell particles can be tuned by the coating number of Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 layers and SiO2 core particle size to some extent, pointing out the great potential for these particles applied in displaying and lightening fields.     

New preparation method of gold nanoparticles on SiO2

It is shown that adsorption of the [Au(en)(2)](3+) cationic complex can be successfully employed for the deposition of gold nanoparticles (1.5 to 3 nm) onto SiO(2) with high metal loading, good dispersion, and small Au particle size. When the solution pH increases (from 3.8 to 10.5), the Au loading in the Au/SiO(2) samples increases proportionally (from 0.2 to 5.5 wt %), and the average gold particle size also increases (from 1.5 to 2.4 nm). These effects are explained by the increase in the amount of negatively charged sites present on the SiO(2) surface, namely, when the solution pH increases, a higher number of [Au(en)(2)](3+) species can be adsorbed. Extending the adsorption time from 2 to 16 h gives rise to an increase in the gold loading from 3.3 to 4.0 wt % and in the average particle size from 1.8 to 2.9 nm. Different morphologies of gold nanoparticles are present as a function of the particle size. Particles with a size of 3-5 nm show defective structure, some of them having a multiple twinning particle (MTP) structure. At the same time, nanoparticles with an average size of ca. 2 nm exhibit defect-free structure with well-distinguishable {111} family planes. TEM and HAADF observations revealed that Au particles do not agglomerate on the SiO(2) support: gold is present on the surface of SiO(2) only as small particles. Density functional theory calculations were employed to study the mechanisms of [Au(en)(2)](3+) adsorption, where neutral and negatively charged silica surfaces were simulated by neutral cluster Si(4)O(10)H(4) and negatively charged cluster Si(4)O(10)H(3), respectively. The calculation results are totally consistent with the suggestion that the deposition of gold takes place according to a cationic adsorption mechanism.     

Light Absorption by the Clusters of Colloidal Gold and Silver Particles Formed During Slow and Fast Aggregation

Spectra of absorption (400–800 nm) by the aggregates of colloidal gold (5, 15, and 30 nm in diameter) and silver (20 nm in diameter) particles were studied experimentally and theoretically. It was revealed that, during fast aggregation corresponding to the diffusion-limited cluster aggregation (DLCA), the pattern of spectra is dependent on the size of primary particles. Spectra with the additional absorption maximum in the red region are observed for 15 and 30 nm gold and 20 nm silver particles, while the absorption spectrum for 5 nm particles is characterized by only one maximum shifted to the red region. The slow aggregation resulted in a decrease in plasmon absorption peak with no marked shift to the red region and to the broadening of long-wave absorption wing. From data on electron microscopy, typical branched DLCA-clusters were formed during fast aggregation, whereas small compact aggregates and a noticeable number of single particles were observed in a system during slow aggregation. The computer model of the diffusion-limited cluster-cluster aggregation was used to explain these results. Optical properties of aggregates were calculated using coupled dipole method (CDM or DDA) and the exact method of a multipole expansion. Corrections for the size effect were introduced into the bulk optical constants of metals for nanosized particles. It was shown that a modified version of DDA (Markel et al.,Phys. Rev. B, 1996, vol. 53, no. 5, p. 2425) allows us to explain the pattern of experimental spectra of DLCA-aggregates and their dependence on a monomer size. The exact method was applied to calculate the extinction cross sections of metallic aggregates demonstrating strong electrodynamic interaction between particles. The number of higher multipoles that are required to adequately describe this interaction is much larger than the number of terms of an ordinary Mie series and is the main obstacle to the exact calculation of the spectra of metallic aggregates with a large number of particles.     

Colloid-polymer mixtures in solution with refractive index matched acrylate colloids

Colloid-polymer (CP) mixtures extend between two limiting cases, the colloid limit with the polymer coil size small compared to the colloid radius Rcol and the protein limit with the colloidal particles much smaller in size than the radius of gyration of the polymer chains Rg. In the present work, model systems are developed for the protein limit. The colloid-solvent pairs are optimized in terms of their isorefractivity in order to facilitate the characterization of large polystyrene chains in suspensions of small colloids. The degree of isorefractivity of colloidal particles was successfully evaluated in terms of a reduced scattering intensity. Two polystyrene samples with radii of gyration of Rg = 96 nm and Rg = 78 nm, respectively, are used. The radii of the colloidal particles are close to Rcol = 12 nm, leading to size ratios of Rg/Rcol = 8 and Rg/Rcol = 6.5. Four colloid solvent systems were found to be suitable for polymer characterization by light scattering, one based on silica particles and three systems with acrylate particles. The present investigation is focused on the three acrylate systems: poly(methyl methacrylate) in ethyl benzoate (ETB) at 7 degrees C, poly(ethyl methacrylate) in toluene at 7 degrees C and poly(ethyl methacrylate) in ETB at 40 degrees C. Characterization of PS chains is for the first time performed in colloid concentrations up to 2.5% by weight. In all cases, the size and shape of the polymer chains remain unchanged. A slight mismatch of the colloid scattering or a limited colloid solubility prevented investigation of PS chains at higher colloid concentration.     

Exclusion of impurity particles during grain growth in charged colloidal crystals

We examine the spatial distribution of fluorescent-labeled charged polystyrene (PS) particles (particle volume fraction ? = 0.0001 and 0.001, diameter d = 183 and 333 nm) added to colloidal crystals of charged silica particles (? = ?(s) = 0.035-0.05, d = 118 nm). At ?(s) = 0.05, the PS particles were almost randomly distributed in the volume-filling polycrystal structures before the grain growth process. Time-resolved confocal laser scanning microscopy observations reveal that the PS particles are swept to the grain boundaries of the colloidal silica crystals owing to grain boundary migration. PS particles with d = 2420 nm are not excluded from the silica crystals. We also examine influences of the impurities on the grain growth laws, such as the power law growth, size distribution, and existence of a time-independent distribution function of the scaled grain size.     

Ultra-fine particles of TiN

Ultra-fine particles of TiN have been produced by evaporating titanium in an atmosphere of helium and nitrogen. After evaporation titanium is cooled by the helium gas and small particles are formed. These are extremely reactive and react with the nitrogen gas making nitride. The particles were either collected as a powder on a vertical tube cooled by liquid nitrogen, or as a surface coating on some areas of the tungsten crucible. The produced powder was observed to consist of single crystalline particles with sizes ranging from 5 to 20 nm. The only phase observed was the δ-phase (fcc, NaCl-structure), and the dominating particle morphology was cubic with (100)-surfaces. Due to the size of the particles it was not possible to determine the stoichiometry by accurate lattice parameter measurements. However, quantitative electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) was applied on single particles and indicated a quite low content of nitrogen (about 33 at%). Some areas of the tungsten evaporation source were covered with a 10 μm thick TiN coating with its typical yellowish colour. The grains had a size of 1–10 μm and a rectangular shape. The grains were heavily stressed and had an amount of nitrogen quite similar to that of the small particles.     

Impact of initiators in preparing magnetic polymer particles by miniemulsion polymerization

Sub-micron sized polystyrene particles containing magnetite more than 30 wt.% were prepared by miniemulsion polymerization with commercially available ferricolloid. The effects of some water-soluble initiators and/or oil-soluble initiators on the particles characteristics, such as the size, morphology, magnetic properties and colloidal stability, were studied. The size of monomer droplets/polymer particles increased from 60 to 300 nm during polymerization, keeping magnetic in core when potassium persulfate (KPS) or ammonium persulfate (APS) was used as the sole initiator. These particles were easily separated from the medium within short time scale in external magnetic field, while such characteristics were controlled by the amount of persulfate used for the polymerization. In contrast, when 2,2′-azobis isobutyronitrile (AIBN) was used as the initiator, the size of droplets/particles was retained to be 90 nm at the most and magnetite nanoparticles located at the surface of polystyrene particles, which were so colloidally stable that they were not separated in external magnetic field. The above-mentioned effect of initiators on particle size in persulfate system was likely originated from the decrease of pH value and the increase of ionic strength, which induced the fusion of droplets/particles containing magnetite. Mixed-initiators system resulted in intermediate characteristics, compared with each initiator system. The location of magnetite in the particle seems to depend on where initiation/polymerization occurred in each initiator system.     

Microwave synthesis and inherent stabilization of metal nanoparticles in 1-methyl-3-(3-carboxyethyl)-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate

The synthesis of Co-NPs and Mn-NPs by microwave-induced decomposition of the metal carbonyls Co(2)(CO)(8) and Mn(2)(CO)(10), respectively, yields smaller and better separated particles in the functionalized IL 1-methyl-3-(3-carboxyethyl)-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate [EmimCO(2)H][BF(4)] (1.6 ± 0.3 nm and 4.3 ± 1.0 nm, respectively) than in the non-functionalized IL 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [Bmim][BF(4)]. The particles are stable in the absence of capping ligands (surfactants) for more than six months although some variation in particle size could be observed by TEM.