Magnetic Properties of Electrodeposited Cobalt-Platinum (CoPt) and Cobalt-Platinum-Phosphide (CoPtP) Thin Films.

CoPt and CoPtP thin films were synthesized using direct current (DC) aqueous electrodeposition from weak alkaline solutions. The basic plating solutions of binary CoPt thin films consisted of cobalt pyrophosphate [Co2P2O7] and chloroplatinic acid [H2PtCl6]. Various amounts of sodium hypophosphite [NaH2PO2] was added to deposit ternary CoPtP thin films. The film composition was adjusted by varying the several electrodeposition parameters including electrolyte composition, solution pH, and current density and correlated to their microstructure and magnetic property (i.e. coercivity and squareness). For the binary CoPt thin films, the maximum coercivities [in-plane coercivity (Hc,//) = ∼1,600 Oe, and perpendicular coercivity (Hc,⊥) = ∼2,500 Oe] were obtained from electrolytes containing 0.01 M H2PtCl6 + 0.04 M Co2P2O7 at current density (CD) of 7.5 mA cm-2. In the case of ternary CoPtP electrodeposits, the maximum coercivities (Hc,// = ∼2,600 Oe, and Hc,⊥ = ∼3,800 Oe) were achieved from baths containing 0.015 M H2PtCl6, 0.07 M Co2P2O7, 0.8 M NaH2PO2 at CD of 7.5 mA cm- 2 and solution pH 9. It was suggested that microstructure and magnetic properties are affected not only by the type of substrate but also by chemical compositions and electrodeposition conditions.

Transformative piezoelectric enhancement of P(VDF-TrFE) synergistically driven by nanoscale dimensional reduction and thermal treatment.

Despite the significant potential of organic piezoelectric materials in the electro-mechanical or mechano-electrical applications that require light and flexible material properties, the intrinsically low piezoelectric performance as compared to traditional inorganic materials has limited their full utilization. In this study, we demonstrate that dimensional reduction of poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) at the nanoscale by electrospinning, combined with an appropriate thermal treatment, induces a transformative enhancement in piezoelectric performance. Specifically, the piezoelectric coefficient (d33) reached up to -108 pm V-1, approaching that of inorganic counterparts. Electrospun mats composed of thermo-treated 30 nm nanofibers with a thickness of 15 µm produced a consistent peak-to-peak voltage of 38.5 V and a power output of 74.1 µW at a strain of 0.26% while sustaining energy production over 10k repeated actuations. The exceptional piezoelectric performance was realized by the enhancement of piezoelectric dipole alignment and the materialization of flexoelectricity, both from the synergistic effects of dimensional reduction and thermal treatment. Our findings suggest that dimensionally controlled and thermally treated electrospun P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers provide an opportunity to exploit their flexibility and durability for mechanically challenging applications while matching the piezoelectric performance of brittle, inorganic piezoelectric materials.

Selective recognition of xylene isomers using ZnO-SWNTs hybrid gas sensors.

We demonstrate a hybrid ZnO nanoparticle decorated SWNT network device that can conductometrically differentiate between xylene isomers at room temperature with minimal interference from background VOCs. Field effect transistor measurements are conducted to identify the sensing mechanism which is attributed to enhanced SWNT transduction of chemical interaction with ZnO surfaces.

Real-time monitoring of Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation using a quartz crystal microbalance.

The ability of Streptococcus mutans, a well-known etiological agent in dental caries, to attach and form a biofilm is an important key to its virulence. The effects of various environmental factors (i.e. sucrose concentration, flow rate and temperature as well as genetic manipulations) on the capability of S. mutans (UA 140) to attach, form and detach were monitored in situ using quartz crystal microbalance. The biofilm growth rate was much slower than that of planktonic growth. Greater availability of sucrose contributed to biofilms with less lag time, lower doubling times and earlier detachment. Flow rate experiments showed that as the shear stress was reduced, the maximum mass accumulated also decreased. However, the detachment process was independent of shear force, perhaps indicative of quorum sensing. Increasing the incubation temperature from 37 to 40 degrees C extended the lag period and inhibited the ability of the biofilm to attach readily. Absence of either the ciaH, luxS, gtfB or gtfC genes also greatly affected the ability of the S. mutans to adhere to a surface in comparison to the wild type. Quartz crystal microbalance results indicate that the gtfC gene possibly has a greater contribution to biofilm attachment than the gtfB gene, that the presence of the luxS gene is critical for attachment and that the ciaH gene primarily affects the initial reversible attachment of the biofilm.

Electrochemically fabricated zero-valent iron, iron-nickel, and iron-palladium nanowires for environmental remediation applications.

Monodisperse crystalline zero-valent iron, iron-nickel, iron-palladium nanowires were synthesised using template-directed electrodeposition methods. Prior to nanowire fabrication, alumina nanotemplates with controlled pore structure (e.g. pore diameter and porosity) were fabricated by anodising high purity aluminium foil in sulphuric acid. After fabrication of alumina nanotemplates, iron, iron-nickel and iron-palladium nanowires were electrodeposited within the pore structure. The dimensions of nanowires including diameter and length were precisely controlled by pore diameter of anodised alumina and deposition rate and time. The composition, crystal structure and orientation were controlled by adjusting electrodeposition parameters including applied current density and solution compositions.

Quantitative analyses of Streptococcus mutans biofilms with quartz crystal microbalance, microjet impingement and confocal microscopy.

Microbial biofilm formation can be influenced by many physiological and genetic factors. The conventional microtiter plate assay provides useful but limited information about biofilm formation. With the fast expansion of the biofilm research field, there are urgent needs for more informative techniques to quantify the major parameters of a biofilm, such as adhesive strength and total biomass. It would be even more ideal if these measurements could be conducted in a real-time, non-invasive manner. In this study, we used quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and microjet impingement (MJI) to measure total biomass and adhesive strength, respectively, of S. mutans biofilms formed under different sucrose concentrations. In conjunction with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and the COMSTAT software, we show that sucrose concentration affects the biofilm strength, total biomass, and architecture in both qualitative and quantitative manners. Our data correlate well with previous observations about the effect of sucrose on the adherence of S. mutans to the tooth surface, and demonstrate that QCM is a useful tool for studying the kinetics of biofilm formation in real time and that MJI is a sensitive, easy-to-use device to measure the adhesive strength of a biofilm.