Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 128 in total

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  1. Ashour ES, Sulaiman MY, Ruslan MH, Sopian K
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2013 Nov 06;8(1):466.
    PMID: 24195734 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-466
    Vertically aligned silicon nanowires have been synthesized by the chemical etching of silicon wafers. The influence of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layer (shell) on top of a silicon nanowire (SiNW) solar cell has been investigated. The optical properties of a-Si:H/SiNWs and SiNWs are examined in terms of optical reflection and absorption properties. In the presence of the a-Si:H shell, 5.2% reflection ratio in the spectral range (250 to 1,000 nm) is achieved with a superior absorption property with an average over 87% of the incident light. In addition, the characteristics of the solar cell have been significantly improved, which exhibits higher open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and efficiency by more than 15%, 12%, and 37%, respectively, compared with planar SiNW solar cells. Based on the current-voltage measurements and morphology results, we show that the a-Si:H shell can passivate the defects generated by wet etching processes.
  2. Jin NZ, Anniebell S, Gopinath SC, Chen Y
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2016 Dec;11(1):399.
    PMID: 27637891 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-016-1615-2
    Electrostatic attraction, covalent binding, and hydrophobic absorption are spontaneous processes to assemble and disassemble the molecules of gold nanoparticles (GNP). This dynamic change can be performed in the presence of ions, such as NaCl or charged molecules. Current research encompasses the GNP in mediating non-biofouling and investigating the molecular attachment and detachment. Experiments were performed with different sizes of GNP and polymers. As a proof of concept, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(acrylic acid), called PEG-PAAc, attachment and binding events between factor IX and factor IX-bp from snake venom were demonstrated, and the variations with these molecular attachment on GNP were shown. Optimal concentration of NaCl for GNP aggregation was 250 mM, and the optimal size of GNP used was 30 nm. The polymer PEG-PAAc (1 mg/ml) has a strong affinity to the GNP as indicated by the dispersed GNP. The concentration of 5800 nM of factor IX was proved to be optimal for dispersion of GNP, and at least 100 nM of factor IX-bp was needed to remove factor IX from the surface of GNP. This study delineates the usage of unmodified GNP for molecular analysis and downstream applications.
  3. Sihar N, Tiong TY, Dee CF, Ooi PC, Hamzah AA, Mohamed MA, et al.
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2018 May 15;13(1):150.
    PMID: 29766297 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-018-2566-6
    We fabricated copper oxide nanowires (CuO NWs) ultraviolet (UV) light-assisted hydrogen gas sensor. The fabricated sensor shows promising sensor response behavior towards 100 ppm of H2 at room temperature and elevated temperature at 100 °C when exposed to UV light (3.0 mW/cm2). One hundred-cycle device stability test has been performed, and it is found that for sample elevated at 100 °C, the UV-activated sample achieved stability in the first cycle as compared to the sample without UV irradiation which needed about 10 cycles to achieve stability at the initial stage, whereas the sample tested at room temperature was able to stabilize with the aid of UV irradiation. This indicates that with the aid of UV light, after some "warming up" time, it is possible for the conventional CuO NW sensor which normally work at elevated temperature to function at room temperature because UV source is speculated to play a dominant role to increase the interaction of the surface of CuO NWs and hydrogen gas molecules absorbed after the light exposure.
  4. Rahman M, Heng LY, Futra D, Ling TL
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2017 Dec;12(1):474.
    PMID: 28774152 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-017-2236-0
    An ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor for the determination of pathogenic Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) DNA was developed based on polystyrene-co-acrylic acid (PSA) latex nanospheres-gold nanoparticles composite (PSA-AuNPs) DNA carrier matrix. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using an electroactive anthraquninone oligonucleotide label was used for measuring the biosensor response. Loading of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the DNA-latex particle electrode has significantly amplified the faradaic current of DNA hybridisation. Together with the use of a reported probe, the biosensor has demonstrated high sensitivity. The DNA biosensor yielded a reproducible and wide linear response range to target DNA from 1.0 × 10(-21) to 1.0 × 10(-8) M (relative standard deviation, RSD = 4.5%, n = 5) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.0 × 10(-21) M (R (2) = 0.99). The biosensor obtained satisfactory recovery values between 91 and 109% (n = 3) for the detection of V. cholerae DNA in spiked samples and could be reused for six consecutive DNA assays with a repeatability RSD value of 5% (n = 5). The electrochemical biosensor response was stable and maintainable at 95% of its original response up to 58 days of storage period.
  5. Kura AU, Cheah PS, Hussein MZ, Hassan Z, Tengku Azmi TI, Hussein NF, et al.
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):261.
    PMID: 24948886 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-261
    Nanotechnology, through nanomedicine, allowed drugs to be manipulated into nanoscale sizes for delivery to the different parts of the body, at the same time, retaining the valuable pharmacological properties of the drugs. However, efficient drug delivery and excellent release potential of these delivery systems may be hindered by possible untoward side effects. In this study, the sub-acute toxicity of oral zinc aluminium nanocomposite with and without levodopa was assessed using the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines. No sign or symptom of toxicity was observed in orally treated rats with the nanocomposite at 5 and 500 mg/kg concentrations. Body weight gain, feeding, water intake, general survival and organosomatic index were not significantly different between control and treatment groups. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in 500 mg/kg levodopa nanocomposite (169 ± 30 U/L), 5 mg/kg levodopa nanocomposite (172 ± 49 U/L), and 500 mg/kg layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanocomposite (175 ± 25 U/L) were notably elevated compared to controls (143 ± 05 U/L); but the difference were not significant (p > 0.05). However, the differences in aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio of 500 mg/kg levodopa nanocomposite (0.32 ± 0.12) and 500 mg/kg LDH nanocomposite (0.34 ± 0.12) were statistically significant (p 
  6. Johari Z, Ismail R
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2013;8(1):479.
    PMID: 24229375 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-479
    : Armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR) for n=3m and n=3m+1 family carrier statistic under uniaxial strain is studied by means of an analytical model based on tight binding approximation. The uniaxial strain of AGNR carrier statistic models includes the density of state, carrier concentration, and carrier velocity. From the simulation, it is found that AGNR carrier concentration has not been influenced by the uniaxial strain at low normalized Fermi energy for n=3m and n=3m+1. In addition, the carrier velocity of AGNR is mostly affected by strain at high concentration of n≈3.0×107 and 1.0 × 107 m-1 for n=3m and n=3m+1, respectively. The result obtained gives physical insight into the understanding of uniaxial strain in AGNR.
  7. Das R, Leo BF, Murphy F
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2018 Jun 18;13(1):183.
    PMID: 29915874 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-018-2589-z
    Without nanosafety guidelines, the long-term sustainability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for water purifications is questionable. Current risk measurements of CNTs are overshadowed by uncertainties. New risks associated with CNTs are evolving through different waste water purification routes, and there are knowledge gaps in the risk assessment of CNTs based on their physical properties. Although scientific efforts to design risk estimates are evolving, there remains a paucity of knowledge on the unknown health risks of CNTs. The absence of universal CNT safety guidelines is a specific hindrance. In this paper, we close these gaps and suggested several new risk analysis roots and framework extrapolations from CNT-based water purification technologies. We propose a CNT safety clock that will help assess risk appraisal and management. We suggest that this could form the basis of an acceptable CNT safety guideline. We pay particular emphasis on measuring risks based on CNT physico-chemical properties such as diameter, length, aspect ratio, type, charge, hydrophobicity, functionalities and so on which determine CNT behaviour in waste water treatment plants and subsequent release into the environment.
  8. Fakir MS, Supangat A, Sulaiman K
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):225.
    PMID: 24872806 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-225
    In this study, the spin coating of template-assisted method is used to synthesize poly[2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)-alt-4,7-bis(thiophen-2-yl)benzo-2,1,3-thiadiazole] (PFO-DBT) nanorod bundles. The morphological, structural, and optical properties of PFO-DBT nanorod bundles are enhanced by varying the spin coating rate (100, 500, and 1,000 rpm) of the common spin coater. The denser morphological distributions of PFO-DBT nanorod bundles are favorably yielded at the low spin coating rate of 100 rpm, while at high spin coating rate, it is shown otherwise. The auspicious morphologies of highly dense PFO-DBT nanorod bundles are supported by the augmented absorption and photoluminescence.
  9. Singho ND, Johan MR, Lah NA
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):42.
    PMID: 24450850 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-42
    Ag/PMMA nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by in-situ technique. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that the particles are spherical in shape and their sizes are dependent on temperature. The smallest particle achieved high stability as indicated from Zeta sizer analysis. The red shift of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) indicated the increases of particle sizes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns exhibit a two-phase (crystalline and amorphous) structure of Ag/PMMA nanocomposites. The complexation of Ag/PMMA nanocomposites was confirmed using Raman spectroscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra confirmed that the bonding was dominantly influenced by the PMMA and DMF solution. Finally, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results indicate that the total weight loss increases as the temperature increases.
  10. Hambali NA, Yahaya H, Mahmood MR, Terasako T, Hashim AM
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):609.
    PMID: 25411567 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-609
    The electrochemical growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures on graphene on glass using zinc nitrate hexahydrate was studied. The effects of current densities and temperatures on the morphological, structural, and optical properties of the ZnO structures were studied. Vertically aligned nanorods were obtained at a low temperature of 75°C, and the diameters increased with current density. Growth temperature seems to have a strong effect in generating well-defined hexagonal-shape nanorods with a smooth top edge surface. A film-like structure was observed for high current densities above -1.0 mA/cm(2) and temperatures above 80°C due to the coalescence between the neighboring nanorods with large diameter. The nanorods grown at a temperature of 75°C with a low current density of -0.1 mA/cm(2) exhibited the highest density of 1.45 × 10(9) cm(-2). X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the grown ZnO crystallites were highly oriented along the c-axis. The intensity ratio of the ultraviolet (UV) region emission to the visible region emission, I UV/I VIS, showed a decrement with the current densities for all grown samples. The samples grown at the current density below -0.5 mA/cm(2) showed high I UV/I VIS values closer to or higher than 1.0, suggesting their fewer structural defects. For all the ZnO/graphene structures, the high transmittance up to 65% was obtained at the light wavelength of 550 nm. Structural and optical properties of the grown ZnO structures seem to be effectively controlled by the current density rather than the growth temperature. ZnO nanorod/graphene hybrid structure on glass is expected to be a promising structure for solar cell which is a conceivable candidate to address the global need for an inexpensive alternative energy source.
  11. Ghazali NM, Yasui K, Hashim AM
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):685.
    PMID: 25593562 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-685
    Gallium nitride (GaN) nanostructures were successfully synthesized by the nitridation of the electrochemically deposited gallium oxide (Ga2O3) through the utilization of a so-called ammoniating process. Ga2O3 nanostructures were firstly deposited on Si substrate by a simple two-terminal electrochemical technique at a constant current density of 0.15 A/cm(2) using a mixture of Ga2O3, HCl, NH4OH and H2O for 2 h. Then, the deposited Ga2O3 sample was ammoniated in a horizontal quartz tube single zone furnace at various ammoniating times and temperatures. The complete nitridation of Ga2O3 nanostructures at temperatures of 850°C and below was not observed even the ammoniating time was kept up to 45 min. After the ammoniating process at temperature of 900°C for 15 min, several prominent diffraction peaks correspond to hexagonal GaN (h-GaN) planes were detected, while no diffraction peak of Ga2O3 structure was detected, suggesting a complete transformation of Ga2O3 to GaN. Thus, temperature seems to be a key parameter in a nitridation process where the deoxidization rate of Ga2O3 to generate gaseous Ga2O increase with temperature. The growth mechanism for the transformation of Ga2O3 to GaN was proposed and discussed. It was found that a complete transformation can not be realized without a complete deoxidization of Ga2O3. A significant change of morphological structures takes place after a complete transformation of Ga2O3 to GaN where the original nanorod structures of Ga2O3 diminish, and a new nanowire-like GaN structures appear. These results show that the presented method seems to be promising in producing high-quality h-GaN nanostructures on Si.
  12. Hussain MH, Abu Bakar NF, Mustapa AN, Low KF, Othman NH, Adam F
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2020 Jul 02;15(1):140.
    PMID: 32617698 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-020-03370-5
    Complicated and strict protocols are followed to tune the size of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in chemical synthesis methods. In this study, we address the polarity of solvents as a tool for tailoring the size of GNPs in the chemical reduction method. The effects of varying polarity index of the reaction medium on synthesizing gold nanoparticles by chemical reduction method have been investigated. Ethanol as a polar solvent, ethanol-water mixture as reaction medium, L-ascorbic acid as reducing agent, and polyvinylpyrrolidone as stabilizer were used to synthesize GNPs. The polarity index of the reaction medium was adjusted by changing the volume ratio of ethanol to water. UV-Vis, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations reveal that the growth of nanoparticles was gradually increased (~ 22 to 219 nm hydrodynamic diameter) with decreasing value of polarity index of the reaction medium (~ 8.2 to 5.2). Furthermore, the high polarity index of the reaction medium produced smaller and spherical nanoparticles, whereas lower polarity index of reaction medium results in bigger size of GNPs with different shapes. These results imply that the mechanistic of the growth, assembly, and aggregation phenomena of ligand or stabilizer-capped GNPs strongly rely on the polarity of solvent molecules. Using the proposed methodology, wide size range of GNPs with different morphology sizes can be synthesized by simply modulating the volume percentage of organic solvent in the reaction medium.
  13. Maarof S, Ali AA, Hashim AM
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2019 Apr 24;14(1):143.
    PMID: 31016416 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-019-2976-0
    We present a synthesis of large-area single-layer graphene on copper substrate using a refined cooking palm oil, a natural single carbon source, by a home-made spray injector-assisted chemical vapor deposition system. The effects of the distance between spray nozzle and substrate, and growth temperature are studied. From Raman mapping analysis, shorter distance of 1 cm and temperature of around 950 °C lead to the growth of large-area single-layer graphene with a coverage up to 97% of the measured area size of 6400 μm2. The crystallinity of the grown single layer graphene is relatively good due to high distribution percentage of FWHM values of 2D band that is below 30 cm-1. However, the defect concentration is relatively high, and it suggests that a flash-cooling technique needs to be introduced.
  14. Chong SK, Azizan SN, Chan KW, Nguyen HQ, Chiu WS, Aspanut Z, et al.
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2013;8(1):428.
    PMID: 24134646 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-428
    A microstructure deformation of indium oxide (In2O3) nanoparticles by an in situ thermal radiation treatment in nitrous oxide plasma was investigated. The In2O3 nanoparticles were completely transformed into nanostructured In2O3 films upon 10 min of treatment time. The treated In2O3 nanoparticle sample showed improvement in crystallinity while maintaining a large surface area of nanostructure morphology. The direct transition optical absorption at higher photon energy and the electrical conductivity of the In2O3 nanoparticles were significantly enhanced by the treatment.
  15. Chong SK, Dee CF, Abdul Rahman S
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2013;8(1):174.
    PMID: 23590803 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-174
    Silicon/zinc oxide (Si/ZnO) core-shell nanowires (NWs) were prepared on a p-type Si(111) substrate using a two-step growth process. First, indium seed-coated Si NWs (In/Si NWs) were synthesized using a plasma-assisted hot-wire chemical vapor deposition technique. This was then followed by the growth of a ZnO nanostructure shell layer using a vapor transport and condensation method. By varying the ZnO growth time from 0.5 to 2 h, different morphologies of ZnO nanostructures, such as ZnO nanoparticles, ZnO shell layer, and ZnO nanorods were grown on the In/Si NWs. The In seeds were believed to act as centers to attract the ZnO molecule vapors, further inducing the lateral growth of ZnO nanorods from the Si/ZnO core-shell NWs via a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. The ZnO nanorods had a tendency to grow in the direction of [0001] as indicated by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses. We showed that the Si/ZnO core-shell NWs exhibit a broad visible emission ranging from 400 to 750 nm due to the combination of emissions from oxygen vacancies in ZnO and In2O3 structures and nanocrystallite Si on the Si NWs. The hierarchical growth of straight ZnO nanorods on the core-shell NWs eventually reduced the defect (green) emission and enhanced the near band edge (ultraviolet) emission of the ZnO.
  16. Ali K, Khan SA, Jafri MZ
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):175.
    PMID: 24721986 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-175
    Indium tin oxide (ITO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) were deposited on a (100) P-type monocrystalline Si substrate by a radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. Polycrystalline ITO and anatase TiO2 films were obtained at room temperature (RT). The thickness of ITO (60 to 64 nm) and TiO2 (55 to 60 nm) films was optimized, considering the optical response in the 400- to 1,000-nm wavelength range. The deposited films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The XRD analysis showed preferential orientation along (211) and (222) for ITO and (200) and (211) for TiO2 films. The XRD analysis showed that crystalline ITO/TiO2 films could be formed at RT. The crystallite strain measurements showed compressive strain for ITO and TiO2 films. The measured average optical reflectance was about 12% and 10% for the ITO and TiO2 ARCs, respectively.
  17. Bachok N, Ishak A, Pop I
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2011;6:623.
    PMID: 22151965 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-6-623
    An analysis is carried out to study the steady two-dimensional stagnation-point flow of a nanofluid over a stretching/shrinking sheet in its own plane. The stretching/shrinking velocity and the ambient fluid velocity are assumed to vary linearly with the distance from the stagnation point. The similarity equations are solved numerically for three types of nanoparticles, namely copper, alumina, and titania in the water-based fluid with Prandtl number Pr = 6.2. The skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number, and the velocity and temperature profiles are presented graphically and discussed. Effects of the solid volume fraction φ on the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics are thoroughly examined. Different from a stretching sheet, it is found that the solutions for a shrinking sheet are non-unique.
  18. Basirun WJ, Sookhakian M, Baradaran S, Mahmoudian MR, Ebadi M
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2013;8(1):397.
    PMID: 24059434 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-397
    Graphene oxide (GO) film was evaporated onto graphite and used as an electrode to produce electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) films by electrochemical reduction in 6 M KOH solution through voltammetric cycling. Fourier transformed infrared and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of ERGO. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy characterization of ERGO and GO films in ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple with 0.1 M KCl supporting electrolyte gave results that are in accordance with previous reports. Based on the EIS results, ERGO shows higher capacitance and lower charge transfer resistance compared to GO.
  19. Foo KL, Hashim U, Muhammad K, Voon CH
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):429.
    PMID: 25221458 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-429
    Nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) with hexagonal wurtzite structures were synthesized using an easy and low-cost bottom-up hydrothermal growth technique. ZnO thin films were prepared with the use of four different solvents, namely, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and 2-methoxyethanol, and then used as seed layer templates for the subsequent growth of the ZnO NRs. The influences of the different solvents on the structural and optical properties were investigated through scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. The obtained X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the synthesized ZnO NRs were single crystals and exhibited a preferred orientation along the (002) plane. In addition, the calculated results from the specific models of the refractive index are consistent with the experimental data. The ZnO NRs that grew from the 2-methoxyethanol seeded layer exhibited the smallest grain size (39.18 nm), largest diffracted intensities on the (002) plane, and highest bandgap (3.21 eV).
  20. Sidik NA, Khakbaz M, Jahanshaloo L, Samion S, Darus AN
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2013;8(1):178.
    PMID: 23594696 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-178
    This paper presents a numerical study of the thermal performance of fins mounted on the bottom wall of a horizontal channel and cooled with either pure water or an Al2O3-water nanofluid. The bottom wall of the channel is heated at a constant temperature and cooled by mixed convection of laminar flow at a relatively low temperature. The results of the numerical simulation indicate that the heat transfer rate of fins is significantly affected by the Reynolds number (Re) and the thermal conductivity of the fins. The influence of the solid volume fraction on the increase of heat transfer is more noticeable at higher values of the Re.
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