Dermal cells distribution on laser-structured ormosils.

Several dermal substitutes for skin grafting are now commercially available, although their performance still needs improvement. Most artificial dermises have a lower take rate than autologous grafts and require more time for sufficient vascular ingrowth to overlay the skin graft. Herein we characterize new two-dimensional scaffolds for tissue-engineering applications, which were fabricated by two-photon polymerization (2PP) of ormosils hybrid materials. For the 2PP experiments, a Ti:sapphire laser was used to induce the photopolymerization. In this study we showed that the polymeric structures with controlled architectures produced via 2PP could be used as scaffolds for the in vitro culture and proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that the fibroblasts' orientation was guided by the scaffold geometry, consisting of ormosils lines or grids. This 'dermal equivalent' was investigated for its ability to accommodate epidermal cells. To evaluate this interaction, two experimental approaches were hence used: (a) fibroblast-melanocyte co-cultures; and (b) fibroblast-keratinocyte organotypic cultures. During their growth on ormosil scaffolds, productive interaction of fibroblasts with both epidermal cell types was found. Moreover, this pseudo-dermis was shown to support the growth of keratinocytes for up to 8 days after their seeding.

Organic photovoltaic cells based on ZnO thin film electrodes.

Due to its wide band-gap (ca. 3.4 eV), ZnO is a possible candidate material to be used as transparent electrode for a new class of photovoltaic (PV) cells. Also, an increased interest for the photovoltaic properties of several organic monomers and polymers (merocyanines, phthalocyanines and porphyrins) was noticed, because of their high optical absorption in the visible region of the spectrum allowing them to be used as potential inexpensive materials for solar cells. Preparation and properties of CuPc (copper phthalocyanine) based photovoltaic cells using ZnO thin films as transparent conductor electrodes are presented in this paper. ZnO layers are grown by pulsed laser deposition, while the organic layers are obtained by thermal evaporation. Structural characterization is performed by electron microscopy. Optical and transport properties of the mutilayered structures are obtained by electrical and spectro-photometric measurements. The influence of the ZnO-polymer interface on the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the photovoltaic cell is clearly evidenced by our measurements.

Temporally and spectrally resolved imaging of laser-induced plasmas.

We report a hybrid imaging technique capable of performing measurements of the spatial, temporal, and spectral emission characteristics of laser-induced plasmas by use of a single detection system. We apply this technique to study the plasma produced by laser ablation of LiNbO3 and observe phenomena not seen in such detail with standard instruments. These include extreme line broadening up to a few nanometers accompanied by self-absorption near the target surface, and expansion dynamics that differ strongly between the different species. Overall, the wealth of quantitative information provided by this novel technique sheds new light on processes occurring during plasma expansion.