Characterization and antibacterial functions of Ag–TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and W–TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanostructured thin films prepared by sol-gel/laser-induced technique

A novel sol-gel/laser-induced technique (SGLIT) has been developed to form nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO₂) based thin films with an improved antibacterial performance. TiO₂ precursor films loaded with W⁺⁶ and Ag⁺² ions (W–TiO₂, Ag–TiO₂) were prepared separately by sol-gel method and spin-coated on microscopic glass slides. As-dried films were subjected to KrF excimer laser pulses at optimized parameters to generate mesoporous anatase and rutile phases at room temperature. The anatase phase was obtained after irradiation with 10 laser pulses only at 75–85 mJ/cm² fluence in W–TiO₂ films. However, higher number of laser pulses and higher W⁺⁶ content favored the formation of rutile. Whereas Ag–TiO₂ films exhibited anatase up to 200 laser pulses at the same fluence. The films were characterized by using XRD, FEG-SEM, TEM and UV-Vis spectrophotometer to investigate the crystallographic structure, phase transformation, surface morphology, film thickness and the optical properties. A crystallite size of approximately 20 nm was achieved from the anatase prepared by SGLIT. The films exhibited an enhanced antibacterial function against E-Coli cells under the UV excitation.     

Flat supercontinuum generation covering C-band to U-band in two-stage Er/Yb co-doped double-clad fiber amplifier

Supercontinuum generation in the gain fiber in two-stage nanosecond pulse Er/Yb co-doped double-clad fiber amplifier had been demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge instead of the conventional method in which nonlinear fiber was pumped by lasers. The Er/Yb co-doped double-clad fiber acts as the gain media and nonlinear media. This route reduces the splice between fiber laser and nonlinear fiber. The supercontinuum was achieved with spectrum range from 1530 nm to beyond 1700 nm at 6 W output power covering the total C-band to U-band. From the analyzing of the spectra at different stages in the amplifiers, it can be found that it is the modulation instability in the anomalous dispersion regime that initiates the supercontinuum gereration.     

Surface modification of pure titanium by pulsed electron beam

The microstructure, hardness and corrosion resistance of commercially pure Ti treated by low energy high current pulsed electron beam (LEHCPEB) have been investigated. The thin near-surface melted layer rapidly solidified into β and subsequently transformed into ultrafine α′ martensite. This has led to a drastic improvement of the corrosion properties and a significant increase (more than 60%) in hardness of the top surface.     

Enhanced in vitro biocompatibility of ultrafine-grained biomedical NiTi alloy with microporous surface

Bulk ultrafine-grained Ni_50.8Ti_49.2 alloy (UFG-NiTi) was successfully fabricated by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) technique in the present study, and to further improve its surface biocompatibility, surface modification techniques including sandblasting, acid etching and alkali treatment were employed to produce either irregularly roughened surface or microporous surface or hierarchical porous surface with bioactivity. The effect of the above surface treatments on the surface roughness, wettability, corrosion behavior, ion release, apatite forming ability and cytocompatibility of UFG-NiTi alloy were systematically investigated with the coarse-grained NiTi alloy as control. The pitting corrosion potential (E_pit) was increased from 393 mV (SCE) to 704 mV (SCE) with sandblasting and further increased to 1539 mV (SCE) with following acid etching in HF/HNO₃ solution. All the above surface treatment increased the apatite forming ability of UFG-NiTi in varying degrees when soaked them in simulated body fluid (SBF). Meanwhile, both sandblasting and acid etching could promote the cytocompatibility for osteoblasts: sandblasting enhanced cell attachment and acid etching increased cell proliferation. The different corrosion behavior, apatite forming ability and cellular response of UFG-NiTi after different surface modifications are attributed to the topography and wettability of the resulting surface oxide layer.     

The important role of Mn in the room-temperature ferromagnetism of Mn-doped GaN films

Mn-doped GaN films (Ga_1−xMn_xN) were grown on sapphire (0 0 0 1) using Laser assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy (LMBE). High-quality nanocrystalline Ga_1−xMn_xN films with different Mn concentration were then obtained by thermal annealing treatment for 30 min in the ammonia atmosphere. Mn ions were incorporated into the wurtzite structure of the host lattice by substituting the Ga sites with Mn³⁺ due to the thermal treatment. Mn³⁺, which is confirmed by XPS analysis, is believed to be the decisive factor in the origin of room-temperature ferromagnetism. The better room-temperature ferromagnetism is given with the higher Mn³⁺ concentration. The bound magnetic polarons (BMP) theory can be used to prove our room-temperature ferromagnetic properties. The film with the maximum concentration of Mn³⁺ presents strongest ferromagnetic signal at annealing temperature 950 °C. Higher annealing temperature (such as 1150 °C) is not proper because of the second phase Mn_xGa_y formation.     

Magnetic properties of Mn-oxide nanoparticles dispersed in an amorphous SiO2 matrix

Samples of Mn-oxide nanoparticles dispersed in an amorphous SiO₂ matrix with manganese concentration 0.7 and 3 at% have been synthesized by a sol-gel method. Transmission electron microscopy analysis has shown that the samples contain agglomerates of amorphous silica particles 10-20 nm in size. In silica matrix two types of Mn-rich particles are dispersed, smaller nanoparticles with dimensions between 3 and 10 nm, and larger crystalline areas consisting of aggregates of the smaller nanoparticles. High-temperature magnetic susceptibility study reveals that dominant magnetic phase at higher temperatures is λ-MnO₂. At temperatures below T_C=43 K strong ferrimagnetism originating from the minor Mn₃O₄ phase masks the relatively weak magnetism of λ-MnO₂ with antiferromagnetic interactions. Magnetic field dependence of the maximum in the zero-field-cooled magnetization for both the samples in the vicinity of 40 K, and a frequency shift of the real component of the ac magnetic susceptibility in the sample with 3 at% Mn suggest that the magnetic moments of the smaller Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles with dimensions below 10 nm are exposed to thermally activated blocking process just below the Curie temperature T_C. Appearance of a maximum in the zero-field-cooled magnetization for both the samples below 10 K indicates possible spin glass freezing of the magnetic moments at low temperatures which might occur in the geometrically frustrated Mn sublattice of the λ-MnO₂ crystal structure.     

Metal-insulator transition induced by fluctuations of the magnetic potential in the quantum well of the semiconductor structure with magnetic impurities? δ-layer

We consider the metal-insulator transition occurring at lowering temperature in the two-dimensional channel of semiconductor heterostructures with δ-layer of magnetic impurities. In contrast to the similar transition produced by the localization of charge carriers in the fluctuating electric potential, the investigated transition is associated with the fluctuating magnetic potential generated by the impurity magnetization. With lowering temperature, the magnetic potential grows and the system is decomposed into areas with strongly differing local carrier concentrations. The current flow (in the resultant composite medium) is obstructed by Coulomb blockade and occurs via the thermal activation. It is just the metal-insulator transition.     

Investigation of the optical limiting properties of acid blue29 in various solvents

The optical limiting properties of acid blue29 solutions in different solvents are investigated. Experiments are performed using a CW He-Ne Laser beam at 632.8 nm wavelength and 35 mW power. The strength of the optical limiting action is dramatically influenced by the solvent. Multiple diffraction rings were observed when the samples were exposed to laser radiation. The effect of concentration, solvent and laser intensity on the diffraction rings are studied experimentally. Our results show that the nonlinear refraction is the dominant mechanism to explain the optical limiting behavior in acid blue29.     

The effect of anti-reflection coating of porous silicon on solar cells efficiency

Anti-reflection coatings of solar cells have been fabricated using different techniques. The techniques used include SiO₂ thermal oxidation, ZnO/TiO₂ sputtering deposition and porous silicon prepared by electrochemical etching. Surface morphology and structural properties of solar cells were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy and atomic forces microscopy. Optical reflectance was obtained by using optical reflectometer. I-V characterizations were studied under 80 mW/cm² illumination conditions. Porous silicon was found to be an excellent anti-reflection coating against incident light when it is compared with another anti-reflection coating and exhibited good light-trapping of a wide wavelength spectrum which produced high efficiency solar cells.