Tunable Metal‐Enhanced Fluorescence by Stimuli‐Responsive Polyelectrolyte Interlayer Films

In this paper, we report on the tunable metal‐enhanced fluorescence (MEF) of Ag nanostructures. Because of the good MEF properties of the highly dendritic Ag nanostructures, we obtained an increase of up to 25 times for the weak fluorescence of porphyrin molecules (Por^4–). More importantly, by the introduction of a stimulus‐responsive PAA/PDDA multilayer film as an interlayer, the distance between the fluorophores and the Ag nanostructures could be tuned by immersing the substrates into solutions of different ionic strength or pH. The MEF behavior of the composite films could thus be tuned in a controlled manner, because of the distance dependent nature of the MEF effects.

     

Strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Co2FeAl0.5Si0.5 film sandwiched by MgO layers

Co2FeAl0.5Si0.5 (CFAS)-based multilayers sandwiched by MgO layers have been deposited and annealed at different temperatures. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) with the magnetic anisotropy energy density Ku ≈2.5×106 erg/cm3 (1 erg = 10-7 J) and the coercivity Hc = 363 Oe (1 Oe = 79.9775 A · m-1) has been achieved in the Si/SiO2/MgO (1.5 nm)/CFAS (2.5 nm)/MgO (0.8 nm)/Pt (5 nm) film annealed at 300 ℃. The strong PMA is mainly due to the top MgO layer. The structure can be used as top magnetic electrodes in half-metallic perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions.     

Tunable interface anisotropy in a Pt/Co_(1-x)Fe_x/Pt multilayer

Interfacial magnetic anisotropy in a Pt/Co1-xFex /Pt multilayer is tuned by doping iron atoms into the cobalt layer.The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and out-of-plane coercivity are found to decrease with increasing x.For a specific x,the out-of-plane coercivity acquires a maximal value as a function of the thickness of the CoFe layer.At low temperature,the coercivity is enhanced.Small coercivity but reasonably large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy can be obtained by controlling the x and CoFe layer thickness.     

直流磁控溅射Si和玻璃衬底Fe/Co多层膜的磁性能比较

对直流磁控溅射Si和玻璃衬底［Co_t/Fe_3t］₅(t=2, 3, 4, 5nm)多层膜的磁性能进行了比较.对于t相同但衬底不同的样品,实验发现饱和磁化强度相差很小,但是矫顽力却相差很大.对矫顽力差异的理论分析表明,多层膜的粗糙度和畴壁类型是引起这种差异的主要原因. 关键词： Fe/Co多层膜 磁性能 矫顽力     

Si／SiNx／SiO2多层膜的光致发光

采用射频磁控溅射法,制备了具有强光致可见发光的纳米Si/SiNx/SiO2多层膜,利用傅立叶红外吸收(FTIR)谱,光致发光(PL)谱对其进行了研究。用260nm光激发得到的PL谱中观察到高强度的392nm(3.2eV)和670nm(1.9eV)光致发光峰,分析认为它们分别来自于缺陷态≡Si-到价带顶和从导带底到缺陷态≡Si-的辐射跃迁而产生的光致激发辐射复合发光。PL谱中只有370nm(3.4eV)处发光峰的峰位会受退火温度的影响,结合FTIR谱认为370nm发光与低价氧化物—SiOx(x<2.0)结合体有密不可分的关系。当SiO2层的厚度增大时,发光强度有所增强,800℃退火后出现最强发光,认为具有较大SiO2层厚度的Si/SiNx/SiO2结构多层膜更有利于退火后形成Si—N网络,能够得到更高效的光致发光。用量子限制-发光中心(QCLC)模型解释了可能的发光机制,并建立了发光的能隙态(EGS)模型。     

Compositional and electrical properties of Cr,Nb, Cr/Nb,CrNbN, and CrN/NbN multilayers grown using the d.c. magnetron sputtering technique

Cr, Nb, Cr/Nb, CrN_x, NbN_x, CrNbN, and (CrN/NbN)_n structures were produced on Si and glass substrates, using the d.c. magnetron sputtering technique. Compositional analysis, based on binding energies of Cr, Nb, and N, was carried out by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Through Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), depth profiles were obtained, allowing to demonstrate the multilayers production. Surface morphological characteristics, as roughness and grain size, were evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealing very smooth surfaces, that is a consequence of the deposition parameters used in the synthetization experiments. Finally, for different configurations, conductivity measurements were carried out, revealing the influence of nitrogen content and temperature on electron transport. It was found that substoichiometric nitrides (CrN_0.35 and NbN_0.12) exhibited the highest conductivity, because the nitrogen atoms act as donor of electrons.     

Nanocomposite-based lignocellulosic fibers 1. Thermal stability of modified fibers with clay-polyelectrolyte multilayers

The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly process of creating highly structured thin films derived from layers of polyelectrolytes and nanoparticles was adopted in this study to modify the surface of lignocellulosic fibers. Aqueous dispersions of clay nanoplatelets were created with ultrasonication and characterized with dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy in which confirmed the presence of individual clay nanoplatelets. Film thickness of never-dried clay and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) multilayers was studied with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Using identical LbL deposition parameters, a slurry of steam-exploded wood fibers was modified by alternate adsorption of PDDA and clay with multiple rinsing steps after each adsorption cycle. Zeta potential measurements were used to characterize the fiber surface charges after each adsorption step while SEM images revealed that the LbL film masked the cellulose microfibril structure. Using a thermogravimetric analyzer, LbL modified steam-exploded wood fibers were observed to attain increased thermal stability relative to the unmodified material tested in both air and nitrogen atmospheres. Significant char for the LbL clay coated steam-exploded wood suggests the multilayer film serves as a barrier creating an insulating layer to prevent further decomposition of the material. This nanotechnology may have a positive impact on the processing of lignocellulosic fibers in thermoplastic matrices, designing of paper-based overlays for building products, and modification of cellulosic fibers for textiles.     

Development of polyelectrolyte multilayer-coated electrospun cellulose acetate fiber mat as composite membranes

Electrostatic multilayers of chitosan (CHI)/sodium alginate (SA) and CHI/poly(styrene sulfonate) sodium salt (PSS) were alternatively coated on electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) fiber mat. Morphologies of the composite membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The morphology of the CHI/SA-coated membrane was denser than the CHI/PSS-coated one. The top layers consisted of carboxyl and sulfonic functional groups for SA and PSS layers, respectively. Amino groups of CHI were only presented in slight quantity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the deposition of the amino groups of CHI on the multilayer membrane surface. These composite membranes were characterized for its water permeability where the water flux decreased with an increase in the number of the bilayers. The water flux was in the range of 60 and 40 L m⁻² h⁻¹ for 15 and 25 bilayered membranes, respectively. The sodium chloride (NaCl) solution flux was lower than the pure water flux due to the effect of osmotic pressure, and it decreased with an increase in the NaCl concentration. The rejection of NaCl increased substantially with the number of the bilayers of the polyelectrolytes multilayers. The level of NaCl rejection from this work was in the range of 6% and 15% for 15 and 25 bilayered membranes, respectively.     

低温退火的X射线W/Si多层膜应力和结构性能

W/Si多层膜反射镜在硬X射线天文望远镜中有重要应用. 为减小其应力对反射镜面形和望远镜分辨率的影响, 同时保证较高的反射率, 采用150, 175和200 ℃ 的低温退火工艺对采用磁控溅射镀制的W/Si周期多层膜进行后处理. 利用掠入射X射线反射测试和样品表面面形测试对退火前后W/Si多层膜的应力和结构进行表征. 结果表明, 在150 ℃ 退火3 h 后, 多层膜1级峰反射率和膜层结构几乎没有发生变化, 应力减少约27%; 在175 ℃ 退火3 h后, 多层膜膜层结构开始发生变化, 应力减少约50%; 在200 ℃退火3 h 后, 多层膜应力减小超过60%, 但1级布拉格峰反射率相对下降17%, 且膜层结构发生了较大变化. W, Si界面层的增大和相互扩散加剧是应力和反射率下降的主要原因.     

Patterned co-culture of primary hepatocytes and fibroblasts using polyelectrolyte multilayer templates

This paper describes the formation of patterned cell co-cultures using the layer-by-layer deposition of synthetic ionic polymers and without the aid of adhesive proteins/ligands such as collagen or fibronectin. In this study, we used synthetic polymers, namely poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDAC) and sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) as the polycation and polyanion, respectively, to build the multilayer films. We formed SPS patterns on polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) surfaces either by microcontact printing PDAC onto SPS surfaces or vice-versa. To create patterned co-cultures on PEMs, we capitalize on the preferential attachment and spreading of primary hepatocytes on SPS as opposed to PDAC surfaces. In contrast, fibroblasts readily attached to both PDAC and SPS surfaces, and as a result, we were able to obtain patterned co-cultures of fibroblast and primary hepatocytes on synthetic PEM surfaces. We characterized the morphology and hepatic-specific functions of the patterned cell co-cultures with microscopy and biochemical assays. Our results suggest an alternative approach to fabricating controlled co-cultures with specified cell-cell and cell-surface interactions; this approach provides flexibility in designing cell-specific surfaces for tissue engineering applications.