Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Study Of The 11-Ferrocenylalkanethiol Redox-Induced Structure Changes By Flow-Injection Electrochemical Surface Plasmon Resonance, Xiu-Juan Xiao, Yong-Hui He, Juan Xiang, Bin Ren

Journal of Electrochemistry

Redox-induced orientation changes of self-assembled monolayers(SAMs) of 11-ferrocenylundecanethiol(FcC11SH) were studied by the flow-injection electrochemical surface plasmon resonance(FI-EC-SPR).Results indicated that there existed two mechanisms concerning the redox-induced structure change of the self-assembled monolayer of ferrocenylalkanethiols:the electrostatic repulsion between the positively charged surface and the ferricenium cation and that among the cations led to a decrease in the tilt angle of the alkanethiol chain;upon Fc oxidation,the Fc group rotated from a tilted conformation to a position where the cyclpentyldiene plane became perpendicular to the electrode.

Photoelectrochemical Properties Of N,S,And Cl Modified Nano Tio_2 Thin Films, Hong Yun, Chang-Jian Lin, Jing Li, Rong-Gui Du

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nitrogen(N),sulfur(S) and chlorine(Cl) modified nano TiO2 thin films were prepared by adding Ti(O-n-Bu)4 as the precursor into concentrated HNO3,H2SO4 and HCl Solutions,respectively,on different substrates in a sol-gel process.The photoelectrochemical performances of N,S and Cl modified nano TiO2 thin films have been studied by UV-vis(DRS),photocurrent curves,EIS and OCP-time curves.N-modified TiO2 nano films show better surface structure,which helps to improve the quantum efficiency of nano TiO2 thin films.

Closing The Gap Between The Industry And Higher Education Institutions- Case Examples From East African Region, Deogratias Harorimana Mr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

Much complained about is the quality of graduates Universities put on the labour market. Less talked about however is why knowledge institutions seems to be bad knowledge managers. In this presentation I argue that DIRECT collaborative relationship between Industry,Governments and Higher Education Institutions is a per-requisite.Good relationship is key to building such a successful knowledge transfer strategies between Industries and Educational and Research Institutions. This paper explores what makes a good Knowledge Transfer Partnership Strategy and highlights some key lessons for businesses, Universities and Government bodies. This paper was a Key note presentation to the Annual International Conference on Building …

Synthesis Of Mild–Hard Aao Templates For Studying Magnetic Interactions Between Metal Nanowires, Jin-Hee Lim, Aurelian Rotaru, Seong-Gi Min, Leszek Malkinski, John B. Wiley

Physics Faculty Publications

The sequential application of mild and hard anodization techniques in the fabrication of porous aluminamembranes allows one to decrease the number of continuous pores in anodized aluminium oxide (AAO) templates. Initially, standard mild anodization techniques were used to create porous templates with 100 nm interpore distances and 70 nm pore diameters. Hard anodization treatment on the same membrane then produced interpore distances of about 265 nm with diameters of 110 nm. At the interface between the two anodization steps, many of the mild-side pores were terminated to create a mild–hard membrane (Mi–Ha AAO) where the functional interpore distances were 200–300 …

Negative Dielectrophoretic Capture Of Bacterial Spores In Food Matrices, Mehti Koklu, Seungkyung Park, Suresh D. Pillai, Ali Beskok

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A microfluidic device with planar square electrodes is developed for capturing particles from high conductivity media using negative dielectrophoresis (n-DEP). Specifically, Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium sporogenes spores, and polystyrene particles are tested in NaCl solution (0.05 and 0.225 S/m), apple juice (0.225 S/m), and milk (0.525 S/m). Depending on the conductivity of the medium, the Joule heating produces electrothermal flow (ETF), which continuously circulates and transports the particles to the DEP capture sites. Combination of the ETF and n-DEP results in different particle capture efficiencies as a function of the conductivity. Utilizing 20 μm height DEP chambers, “almost complete” and …

The Mechanism Of ~(13)Co_(Ad)/~(12)Co Isotope Exchange At Pt Electrode,A Combined Study By Electrochemical In-Situ Infrared Spectroscopy And Dipole-Dipole Coupling Analysis, Sang-Zi Liang, Shao-Xiong Liu, Ling-Wen Liao, Qian Tao, Jing Kang, Yan-Xia Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this contribution,we have analyzed the IR spectra of saturated CO adlayer at rough Pt film electrode as a function of fractional surface coverage of 13COad/12COad recorded during 13COad /12CO isotope exchange process according to dipole-dipole coupling theory and coherent potential approximation. By properly choosing the parameters of adlayer structure and dipole-dipole coupling interaction under coherent potential approximation, we demonstrated that we can successfully simulate the IR spectra as a function of the surface coverage of CO adlayer at rough Pt film electrodes by assuming that COad molecules with low C—O stretching frequencies are dis- placed preferentially during the 13COad/12CO …

Preliminary Investigation Of Iron Protoporphyrin Sams On Platinum Electrodes By Surface Enhanced Vibrational Spectroscopies, Min Ma, Yao-Yue Yang, Han-Xuan Zhang, Wen-Bin Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

In situ SERS and ATR-SEIRAS were applied to investigate the electrochemical and structural properties of iron protoporphyrin IX (FePP) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Pt electrodes in 0. 1 mol· L -1 HClO4. The potential dependent SERS spectra of the FePP SAM on a roughened Pt electrode with the enhancement factor of ca. 40 were acquired with the excitation line of 514 nm. Analyses of SERS data over the potential region from 0. 5 to -0. 3 V enabled to obtain potential dependent adsorption isotherms,from which the formal redox potential could be estimated to be ca. - 0. 2 V. Up-tilted …

Studies Of Oxidation Processes Of Adsorbed And Solution Co On Pt(110) Electrode By Cyclic Voltammetry And In Situ Ftirs, Li Tian, Jun-Tao Li, Jin-Yu Ye, Chun-Hua Zhen, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The oxidation processes of adsorbed CO (COad) and solution phase CO (COsol) on Pt(110) electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and in-situ FTIR spectroscopy. It has revealed that in comparison with COad on Pt(110) in a CO-free solution,the oxidation current peak of COsol in a CO-saturated solution is positively shifted ca. 168 mV,and the peak current density has been increased by 6. 70 times. Linear adsorbed CO (COL) is determined by in-situ FTIR spectroscopy as the main species,which is uniformly distributed on Pt (110) surface. In a CO-free solution,the onset potential of COL is measured by in-situ FTIRS ca. 0. …

In Situ Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectroscopic Study Of Sulfur Adsorption On Polycrystalline Platinum Electrode Surface, Bolian Xu-, In-Su Park, Ying Li, De-Jun Chen, Yuye J. Tong

Journal of Electrochemistry

The paper reports the first in situ surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroelectrochemistry study of sulfur adsorption and electro-oxidation on highly roughened polycrystalline Pt surface in both acidic and basic supporting electrolytes. The SERS spectra were taken at a constant electrode potential after accumulative electro-oxidation CVs of the Pt electrode with pre-adsorbed sulfur species and at different electrode potentials that were varied stepwise of the Pt electrode immersed in sulfur-containing electrolytes without pre-adsorbed sulfur species. In both cases,a dominant vibrational band at 299 cm -1 in acidic electrolyte but at 310 cm-1 in basic electrolyte was observed,which was assigned to …

Density Functional Theory Studies Of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy In Electrochemical Interfaces, Liu-Bin Zhao, De-Yin Wu, Bin Ren, Zhong-Qun Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

Quantum chemical density functional theory and Raman scattering theory were used to study the bonding mechanism and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of pyridine adsorbed on transition metals (Ⅷ group) and coinage metals (IB group) . SERS studies of pyridine-metal systems have been reviewed. Chemical bonding mechanism as well as photo-driven charge transfer mechanism was considered to investigate the vibrational frequency shift and the enhancement of SERS intensity in electrochemical interfaces. Our theoretical results can be used to interpret the SERS phenomena dependent on metals,excitation wavelengths,and applied potentials.

Comparative Study Of Nanoporous Pt,Ptru And Ptruir Catalysts Using Electrochemical Ftir Spectroscopy, M. Amussen Robert, Holt-Hindle Peter, Nigro Samantha, Chen Aicheng

Journal of Electrochemistry

In recent years much effort has been put towards developing efficient Pt-based electrocatalysts for applications in fuel cells. With the rising cost of precious metals such as Pt,the need to enhance the activity and to decrease the load of catalysts is prominent. Herein we report on the synthesis and comparative study of nanoporous Pt,PtRu and PtRuIr electrocatalysts. The nanoporous electrodes were fabricated using a hydrothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) ,energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) ,X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) . The electrocatalytic activity of the fabricated nanopo- rous materials was evaluated using both CO …

The Sers Effect Of Au_(Core)@Pt_(Shell) Nanoparticles With Different Pt Shell Thicknesses, Yan Zhong, Liang-Liang Yan, Gui-Shi Rao, Xiao-Cong Deng, Fei-Peng Wen, Jin-Long Xu, Qi-Ling Zhong

Journal of Electrochemistry

By using Au nanoparticles with a diameter of 55 nm as the core and ascorbic acid as the reductant, Aucore@ Ptshell nanoparticles of controllable Pt shell thickness( 0. 3 ～ 6 nm) were synthesized by controlling the concentration of [PtCl6]2 - ions. The ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrometry,scanning electron microscope ( SEM) ,transmission electron microscope ( TEM) ,high resolution transmission electron microscope ( HRTEM) , and electrochemical cyclic voltammetry were employed to determine surface morphology and structure of Aucore@ Ptshell. With SCN - ion as a probe,the effect of the thickness of the Pt shell on the SERS signals of Aucore@ Ptshell …

Phenomena Characterization Of Energy Materials By X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy, Ming-Yao Cheng, Chun-Jen Pan, Ju-Hsiang Cheng, Bing-Joe Hwang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The aim of this review is to introduce the characterization of energy materials by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) . This technique allows us to probe changes in the valance state and the local environment of the targeted element in the active material; thereby,leading to a better understanding of its electrochemical behavior,and hopefully showing the way to improved performance. Here,electrocatalysts for fuel cells and active electrode materials for Li-ion batteries are taken as the examples that illustrate the capability of XAS and allow observation and theory to be correlated with electrochemical phenomena.

An In Situ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroelectrochemical Study On Alcohols Electrocatalytic Oxidation At Pd Electrode In Acidic Solution, Hai-Ping Huang, Lian-Qin Wang, Pei-Kang Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The methanol and ethylene glycol electrooxidation on palladium electrode in acidic solution has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroelectrochemistry. It shows that the oxidation of methanol and ethylene glycol at Pd electrode cannot proceed until over 1. 5 V in acidic and neutral media. The overpotential decreases and the peak current density increases with the reduction in pH values. The formation of the oxygen-containing species significantly affects the alcohol oxidation on Pd electrode. The in situ FTIR spectroscopic measurements show that the oxidation products of ethylene glycol on Pd electrode are CO2 and oxalic …

In-Situ Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Electrochemical Investigation Of 4-Aminoantipyrine On Silver Electrode, Li-Jun Zhang, Wei Song, Ling Chen, Zong-Rang Zhang, Hai-Feng Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper,4-AAP was self-assembled on silver surface to form monolayers. Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy ( SERS) was used to in-situ investigate the adsorption mechanism of the 4-aminoantipyrine( 4-AAP) on silver surface dependent on shifting potentials and the effect of solution pH. Based on density functional theory( DFT) calculation of vibration modes,approximate assignment of 4-AAP SERS spectrum was conducted. In situ SERS spectral electrochemical experiments indicated that the 4-AAP monolayers experience a dynamic adsorption process from a tilted fashion to a more vertical mode for benzene ring and more parallel for pyrine ring with the potential applied toward more negative voltages. …

Electrochemical Sers Studies On The Adsorption Of Benzoimidazole And Derivative In Nonaqueous Solution, Ya-Xian Yuan, Feng-Zhu Yang, Wei Liu, Ping-Jie Wei, Jian-Lin Yao, Ren-Ao Gu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The surface adsorption of benzoimidazole (BIMH) and 2-mercaptobenzimidazole( MBI) was investigated by electrochemical in-situ surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and direct electrochemical synthesis on Cu electrode. The influence of the neutral ligand of triphenylphosphine (pph3) on the adsorption and surface coordination of BIMH and MBI were investigated respectively. BIMH interacted with metal surface by the neutral molecule to form chemical adlayer in the extremely negative potential,while it adsorbed onto metal surface through the N atoms to form a polymer film which may suppress the corrosion of the metal. The introduction of pph3 destroyed the film formation of BIMH on Cu …

Electrochemical Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy—Current Status And Perspective, Bin Ren, Jian-Feng Li, Yi-Fan Huang, Zhi-Cong Zeng, Zhong-Qun Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemical interface is a very important interface closely related to various energy and life processes. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering was widely used in electrochemistry soon after its discovery to understand the surface bonding,configuration,and orientation of the surface species. In recent 10 years,the fast development of nanoscience and nanotechnology has offered SERS with abundant substrates and characterization methods,which has allowed impressive development of electrochemical SERS. This articles will follow the time line to make systematically overview of SERS on Au and Ag,thin-layer transition-metal SERS,pure transition metal SERS,core-shell SERS and those methods for studying single crystal surfaces,including gap-mode SERS, TERS and SHINERS. Emphasis …

Effect Of Particle Properties And Light Polarization On The Plasmonic Resonances In Metallic Nanoparticles, U. Guler, R. Turan

U. Guler

The resonance behavior of localized surface plasmons in silver and gold nanoparticles was studied in the visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Arrays of nano-sized gold (Au) and silver (Ag) particles with different properties were produced with electron-beam lithography technique over glass substrates. The effect of the particle size, shape variations, period, thickness, metal type, substrate type and sulfidation were studied via transmission and reflectance measurements. The results are compared with the theoretical calculations based on the DDA simulations performed by software developed in this study. We propose a new intensity modulation technique based on localized surface plasmons …

Boron Carbide Based Solid State Neutron Detectors: The Effects Of Bias And Time Constant On Detection Efficiency, Nina Hong, John Mullins, Keith Foreman, Shireen Adenwalla

Shireen Adenwalla Papers

Neutron detection in thick boron carbide(BC)/n-type Si heterojunction diodes shows a threefold increase in efficiency with applied bias and longer time constants. The improved efficiencies resulting from long time constants have been conclusively linked to the much longer charge collection times in the BC layer. Neutron detection signals from both the p-type BC layer and the n-type Si side of the heterojunction diode are observed, with comparable efficiencies. Collectively, these provide strong evidence that the semiconducting BC layer plays an active role in neutron detection, both in neutron capture and in charge generation and collection.

The Applications And Limitations Of Printable Batteries, Matthew Delmanowski

Graphic Communication

This study focuses on the potential applications for printed batteries and how they could affect the printing industry. It also analyzes the main problems associated with manufacturing this technology and what needs to be done to overcome these issues. To find the answers to these questions, two methods of research were used. The first was through the elite and specialized interviewing of Dr. Scott Williams of Rochester Institute of Technology and Professor Nancy Cullins from Cal Poly. The second form of research was a common, yet useful, method called secondary research. This entailed looking at recent written research papers about …

Nano/Micro-Structured Electrode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Yu-Guo Guo, Zhong-Li Wang, Xing-Long Wu, Wei-Ming Zhang, Li-Jun Wan

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nanostructured materials are currently of interest as high performance anodes and cathodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries because of their novel nano-size effects and significantly enhanced kinetics. This review paper describes some recent developments in this field,addressing the size effects,morphology effects,as well as the functions of carbon coating layers toward lithium storage. Several"kinetically stabilized"nano/microstructured electrode materials and high-rate electrode materials with mixed-conducting networks based on the work of the authors are highlighted for illustration.

Prerapation And Supercapacitor Property Of Mesoporous Carbon Nanofibers, Yong-Wen Wang, Ming-Bo Zheng, Jian Cao, Jie-Ming Cao, Guang-Bin Ji, Jie Tao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Two different mesoporous carbon nanofibers with large mesopore or core-shell structure were prepared by using the resol/F127 mixture to fill the AAO template. The morphology and structural parameters of the samples were characterized by SEM,TEM,and N2 adsorption-desorption analysis. The supercapacitive behaviors of the electrodes were tested by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge. The results show that the specific capacitances of mesoporous carbon nanofibers increased obviously and the fine supercapacitive performances were achieved at high scan rate or large current density.

Nano-Sized Au On Nickel Foam As Cathode Of Alkaline Al-H_2o_2 Semi Fuel Cell, Shu-Li Chen, Bang-An Lu, Yao Liu, Gui-Ling Wang, Dian-Xue Cao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nano-sized Au particles were deposited on a nickel foam substrate by a fast spontaneous deposition method using AuCl3 as the source of Au. The effects of AuCl3 concentration and deposition time on the size and distribution of Au particles,and the performance of the obtained Au/Ni electrode as the cathode of Al-H2O2 semi fuel cell were investigated. It was found that after the nickel foam was immersed in a 2 mmol·L-1 AuCl3 solution for 60 s,Au particles with diameters smaller than 100 nm were deposited on its surfaces and cover the surface completely. The Al-H2O2 semi fuel cell with Au/Ni cathode …

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Hcooh At Au_(Core)-Pd_(Shell)-Pt_(Cluster) Nanocubes, Qing-Ning Jiang, Huan Li, Ning Yang, Ping-Ping Fang, Feng-Ru Fan, Zhong-Qun Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

Gold nanocubes were synthesized by a two-step seed-mediated growth method. The Aucore-Pdshell and Aucore-Pdshell-Ptcluster nanocubes with controllable shell thickness of Pd and cluster coverage of Pt were synthesized by simply changing the amount ratio of H2PdCl4 or H2PtCl6. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscope ( SEM) 、transmission electron microscopc ( TEM) and cyclic voltammetry ( CV) . CV was then used to make a systematic study on the dependence of the electrocatalytic properties on the shell thickness of Aucore-Pdshell and Pt coverage of Aucore-Pdshell-Ptcluster,respectively. The results indicated that the Au nanocube core coated by three atomic layers of …

Morphological Evolution Of Single-Crystal Ultrathin Solid Films, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

An introduction to mathematical modeling of ultrathin solid films and the role of such modeling in nanotechnologies: Educational presentation for senior physics majors

Morphological Evolution Of Single-Crystal Ultrathin Solid Films, Mikhail Khenner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

An introduction to mathematical modeling of ultrathin solid films and the role of such modeling in nanotechnologies: Educational/Research presentation for senior physics majors

Morphological Evolution Of Single-Crystal Ultrathin Solid Films, Mikhail Khenner

Mikhail Khenner

An introduction to mathematical modeling of ultrathin solid films and the role of such modeling in nanotechnologies: Educational/Research presentation for senior physics majors

Artificial Intelligence: Soon To Be The World’S Greatest Intelligence, Or Just A Wild Dream?, Edward R. Kollett

Academic Symposium of Undergraduate Scholarship

The purpose of the paper was to examine the field of artificial intelligence. In particular, the paper focused on what has been accomplished towards the goal of making a machine that can think like a human, and the hardships that researchers in the field has faced. It also touched upon the potential outcomes of success. Why is this paper important? As computers become more powerful, the common conception is that they are becoming more intelligent. As computers become more integrated with society and more connected with each other, people again believe they are becoming smarter. Therefore, it is important that …

Rwanda National Customer Satisfaction Survey: Results And Conclusions, Deogratias Harorimana

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

It can be said that development practice requires more than financial and manpower inputs. Rwanda, in 1994 suffered a Genocide. The Society,collectively and under the leadership of His Excellence Paul Kagame the current elected President of Rwanda came together and designed strategies that would propel Rwanda to a Middle-Income, Private Sector Led Economy by the Year 2020.

In 2009, a client seating in one of the Hotels in a Suburb of Remera, in Kigali City, complained about poor service delivery he was experiencing from the waitress staff.Using his Blackberry message, the client forwarded an email to some of the RDB …

Microscopic And Spectroscopic Studies Of Thermally Enhanced Electrospun Pmma Micro- And Nanofibers, Sean Pelfrey, Travis Cantu, Michael R. Papantonakis, Duane L. Simonson, R. Andrew Mcgill, Javier Macossay-Torres

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have been incorporated into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) through electrospinning. The resulting micro- and nanofibers have been characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), which confirmed fiber formation and demonstrated a core-sheath structure of the PMMA fibers. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to obtain the thermal properties of the materials, indicating an enhancement in the thermal properties of the composite fibers. In addition, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was utilized to investigate the interactions of PMMA micro- and nanofibers with CNFs, demonstrating the preferred sites of intermolecular interactions between the polymer matrix and the filler.