Attempts to produce colloidal platinum nanoparticles by using steady absorption spectra with various chemical-based reduction methods often resulted in the fast disappearance of the absorption maxima leaving reduced platinum nanoparticles with little information on their optical properties. We synthesized colloidal platinum nanoparticles in an aqueous solution of polyvinyl pyrrolidone by gamma radiolytic reduction method, which produced steady absorption spectra of fully reduced and highly pure platinum nanoparticles free from by-product impurities or reducing agent contamination. The average particle size was found to be in the range of 3.4–5.3 nm and decreased with increasing dose due to the domination of nucleation over ion association in the formation of metal nanoparticles by the gamma radiolytic reduction method. The platinum nanoparticles exhibit optical absorption spectra with two absorption peaks centered at about 216 and 264 nm and the peaks blue shifted to lower wavelengths with decreasing particle size. The absorption spectra of platinum nanoparticles were also calculated using quantum mechanical treatment and coincidently a good agreement was obtained between the calculated and measured absorption peaks at various particle sizes. This indicates that the 216 and 264-nm absorption peaks of platinum nanoparticles conceivably originated from the intra-band transitions of conduction electrons of (n = 5, l = 2) and (n = 6, l = 0) energy states respectively to higher energy states. The absorption energies, i.e., conduction band energies of platinum nanoparticles derived from the absorption peaks increased with increasing dose and decreased with increasing particle size.
In this study, Zn2SiO4 composite-based ceramic was synthesised using amorphous SiO2
nanoparticles as a silicon source. Different ratios of Zn:Si were prepared by mixing amorphous
SiO2 nanoparticles with aqueous zinc nitrate. Amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles were
encapsulated by the zinc source in aqueous solution, dried, and subjected to heat treatment.
The heat treatment underwent by the amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles, with zinc source mixture,
showed the changing of phases, morphology, and size with increased temperature. ZnO
phase appeared at the beginning of heat treatment and Zn2SiO4 phase started to emerge at
800◦C onwards, as shown by XRD patterns. The average crystallite size increases from 37
nm at 600 ◦C to 68 nm at 1000 ◦C. The spherical morphology was observed at 600 and 700
◦C, but at temperatures higher than 800 ◦C, the dumbbell or necking-like structures formed.
Optical band gap analysis of Zn2SiO4 composite was determined to be within the range of
3.12 ± 0.04 to 3.17 ± 0.04 eV. The photoluminescence of treated samples showed emission
peaks at 411 and 455 nm wavelengths from ZnOs blue band and at 528 nm wavelength from
Zn2SiO4
0
s green band. The diffusion of zinc ions into Zn2SiO4 composite with high surface
area will favour the diffusion at a much lower temperature compared to a conventional solid
state method.
Size-controlled and monodispersed silver nanoparticles were synthesized from an aqueous solution containing silver nitrate as a metal precursor, polyvinyl alcohol as a capping agent, isopropyl alcohol as hydrogen and hydroxyl radical scavengers, and deionized water as a solvent with a simple radiolytic method. The average particle size decreased with an increase in dose due to the domination of nucleation over ion association in the formation of the nanoparticles by gamma reduction. The silver nanoparticles exhibit a very sharp and strong absorption spectrum with the absorption maximum λmax blue shifting with an increased dose, owing to a decrease in particle size. The absorption spectra of silver nanoparticles of various particle sizes were also calculated using a quantum physics treatment and an agreement was obtained with the experimental absorption data. The results suggest that the absorption spectrum of silver nanoparticles possibly derived from the intra-band excitations of conduction electrons from the lowest energy state (n = 5, l = 0) to higher energy states (n ≥ 6; Δl = 0, ±1; Δs = 0, ±1), allowed by the quantum numbers principle. This demonstrates that the absorption phenomenon of metal nanoparticles based on a quantum physics description could be exploited to be added into the fundamentals of metal nanoparticles and the related fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Gamma radiolytic synthesis was used to produce size-controlled spherical platinum nanoparticles from an aqueous solution containing platinum tetraammine and polyvinyl pyrrolidone. The structural characterizations were performed using X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The transmission electron microscopy was used to determine the average particle diameter, which decreased from 4.4nm at 80kGy to 2.8nm at 120kGy. The UV-visible absorption spectrum was measured and found that platinum nanoparticles exhibit two steady absorption maxima in UV regions due to plasmonic excitation of conduction electrons, which blue shifted to lower wavelengths with a decrease in particle size. We consider the conduction electrons of platinum nanoparticles to follow Thomas-Fermi-Dirac-Weizsacker atomic model that they are not entirely free but weakly bounded to particles at lower-energy states {n = 5, l = 2 or 5d} and {n = 6, l = 0 or 6s}, which upon receiving UV photon energy the electrons make intra-band quantum excitations to higher-energy states allowed by the principles of quantum number that results the absorption maxima. We found an excellent agreement between the experimental and theoretical results, which suggest that the optical absorption of metal nanoparticles could be fundamentally described by a quantum mechanical interpretation, which could be more relevant to photo-catalysis and heterogeneous catalysis.
Platinum nanoparticles were synthesized using the gamma radiolytic technique in an aqueous solution containing Platinum tetraammine chloride in presence of poly vinyl pyrrolidone, isopropanol, tetrahydrofuran and deionized water. The gamma irradiation was carried out in a60Co gamma source chamber and the particle size was found to decrease from 4.88 to 3.14 nm on increasing the gamma radiation dose from 80 to 120 kGy. UV-visible absorption spectra were measured and revealed two steady absorption maxima at 216 and 264 nm in the UV region, which was blue shifted (i.e. toward lower wavelength) with decreasing particle size. By taking the conduction electrons of an isolated particle that are not entirely free, but instead bound to their respective quantum levels, the optical absorption of platinum nanoparticles can be calculated via intra-band quantum excitation for particle sizes similar to those measured experimentally. We found that the calculated absorption maxima of electronic excitations matched the measured absorption maxima well. This finding suggests that the optical absorption of metal nanoparticles commonly applied in nanoscience and nanotechnology can be described accurately by the quantum excitation of conduction electrons.
Cadmium oxide semiconductor nanoparticles were produced using a water based mixture, incorporating cadmium nitrates, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and calcination temperature. An X-ray diffraction (XRD) evaluation was conducted to determine the degree of crystallization of the semiconductor nanoparticles. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was conducted to identify the morphological features of the nanoparticles. The typical particle sizes and particle dispersal were analyzed via the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The findings provided further support for the XRD outcomes. To determine the composition phase, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was conducted, as it indicated the existence of not only metal oxide ionic band in the selection of samples, but also the efficient removal of organic compounds following calcinations. The optical characteristics were demonstrated, so as to analyze the energy band gap via the use of a UV⁻Vis spectrophotometer. A reduced particle size resulted in diminution of the intensity of photoluminescence, was demonstrated by PL spectra. Plus, the magnetic characteristics were examined using an electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, which affirmed the existence of unpaired electrons.
The primary objective of the study was to examine the distribution of various elements, namely Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni), and Lead (Pb), in the soft tissues, shells, and associated surface sediments of Cerithidea obtusa (C. obtusa) mangrove snails collected from Sungai Besar Sepang. To conduct the analysis, the preferred and most convenient methods employed were Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The results showed that the mean concentration of elements in the sediments and soft tissues followed the order Fe > Cu > Ni > Pb > Cd, while for the shell of C. obtusa, it was Fe > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cd.•Iron (Fe) showed the highest concentration among all elements monitored in sediments, soft tissues, and shells of C. obtusa.•The PF results indicated higher incorporation of Pb and Ni into shells.•BSAF results showed that C. obtusa shells accumulated more Cu and Cd from sediments, making them effective biomonitors.
The modified thermal treatment method via alternate oxygen and nitrogen flow was successfully employed to synthesize very narrow and pure Ag nanoparticles. The structural and optical properties of the obtained metal nanoparticles at different calcination temperatures between 400 and 800 °C were studied using various techniques. The FTIR and EDX confirmed the formation of Ag nanoparticles without a trace of impurities. The XRD spectra revealed that the amorphous sample at 30 °C had transformed into the cubic crystalline nanostructures at the calcination temperature of 400 °C and higher. The TEM images showed the formation of spherical Ag nanoparticles in which the average particle size decreased with increasing calcination temperature from 7.88 nm at 400 °C to 3.29 nm at 800 °C. The optical properties were determined by UV-vis absorption spectrophotometer, which showed an increase in the conduction band of Ag nanoparticles with increasing calcination temperature from 2.75 eV at 400 °C to 3.04 eV at 800 °C. This was due to less attraction between conduction electrons and metal ions as the particle size decreases in corresponding to fewer numbers of atoms that made up the metal nanoparticles.
Very narrow and pure silver nanoparticles were synthesized by modified thermal treatment method via oxygen and nitrogen flow in succession. The structural and optical properties of the calcined silver nanoparticles at 600°C with diverse Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) concentrations varied from 2% to 4% were studied by means of different techniques. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor the production of pure Ag nanoparticles at a given Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) concentration. The X-ray powder diffraction spectra are evidence for the transformation of the amorphous sample at 30°C to the cubic crystalline nanostructures at the calcination temperatures for all Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) concentrations. The transmission electron microscopy images showed the creation of spherical silver nanoparticles with the average particle size decreased by increasing Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) concentrations from 4.61 nm at 2% to 2.49 nm at 4% Poly(vinylpyrrolidone). The optical properties were investigated by means of UV-vis absorption spectrophotometer, which showed an increase in the conduction band of Ag nanoparticles with increasing Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) concentrations from 2.83 eV at 2% Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) to 2.94 eV at 4% Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) due to decreasing particle size. This was due to less attraction between conduction electrons and metal ions for smaller particle size corresponding to fewer atoms that made up the metal nanoparticles.
This review presents an introduction to the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles by radiation-induced method, especially gamma irradiation. This method offers some benefits over the conventional methods because it provides fully reduced and highly pure nanoparticles free from by-products or chemical reducing agents, and is capable of controlling the particle size and structure. The nucleation and growth mechanism of metallic nanoparticles are also discussed. The competition between nucleation and growth process in the formation of nanoparticles can determine the size of nanoparticles which is influenced by certain parameters such as the choice of solvents and stabilizer, the precursor to stabilizer ratio, pH during synthesis, and absorbed dose.
Colloidal Cu@CuAlO(2)-Al(2)O(3) bimetallic nanoparticles were prepared by a gamma irradiation method in an aqueous system in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and isopropanol respectively as a colloidal stabilizer and scavenger of hydrogen and hydroxyl radicals. The gamma irradiation was carried out in a (60)Co gamma source chamber with different doses up to 120 kGy. The formation of Cu@CuAlO(2)-Al(2)O(3) nanoparticles was observed initially by the change in color of the colloidal samples from colorless to brown. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of bonds between polymer chains and the metal surface at all radiation doses. Results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that Cu@CuAlO(2)-Al(2)O(3) nanoparticles are in a core-shell structure. By controlling the absorbed dose and precursor concentration, nanoclusters with different particle sizes were obtained. The average particle diameter increased with increased precursor concentration and decreased with increased dose. This is due to the competition between nucleation, growth, and aggregation processes in the formation of nanoclusters during irradiation.
The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead and zinc in surface sediments collected from the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, along the South China Sea, were measured by two methods instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. The obtained results were use to determine the areal distribution of the metals of in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia and potential sources of these metals to this environment. The geochemical data propose that most of the metals found in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia constitute a redistribution of territorial materials within the ecosystem. Then, the metal concentrations can be considered to be present at natural background levels in surface sediments.
Zinc sulfide semiconductor nanoparticles were synthesized in an aqueous solution of polyvinyl pyrrolidone via a simple microwave irradiation method. The effect of the polymer concentration and the type of sulfur source on the particle size and dispersion of the final ZnS nanoparticle product was carefully examined. Microwave heating generally occurs by two main mechanisms: dipolar polarization of water and ionic conduction of precursors. The introduction of the polymer affects the heating rate by restriction of the rotational motion of dipole molecules and immobilization of ions. Consequently, our results show that the presence of the polymer strongly affects the nucleation and growth rates of the ZnS nanoparticles and therefore determines the average particle size and the dispersion. Moreover, we found that PVP adsorbed on the surface of the ZnS nanoparticles by interaction of the C-N and C=O with the nanoparticle's surface, thereby affording protection from agglomeration by steric hindrance. Generally, with increasing PVP concentration, mono-dispersed colloidal solutions were obtained and at the optimal PVP concentration (5%), sufficiently small size and narrow size distributions were obtained from both sodium sulfide and thioacetamide sulfur sources. Finally, the sulfur source directly influences the reaction mechanism and the final particle morphology, as well as the average size.
Calcium borate nanoparticles have been synthesized by a thermal treatment method via facile co-precipitation. Differences of annealing temperature and annealing time and their effects on crystal structure, particle size, size distribution and thermal stability of nanoparticles were investigated. The formation of calcium borate compound was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Thermogravimetry (TGA). The XRD patterns revealed that the co-precipitated samples annealed at 700 °C for 3 h annealing time formed an amorphous structure and the transformation into a crystalline structure only occurred after 5 h annealing time. It was found that the samples annealed at 900 °C are mostly metaborate (CaB(2)O(4)) nanoparticles and tetraborate (CaB(4)O(7)) nanoparticles only observed at 970 °C, which was confirmed by FTIR. The TEM images indicated that with increasing the annealing time and temperature, the average particle size increases. TGA analysis confirmed the thermal stability of the annealed samples at higher temperatures.
ZnS and CdS nanoparticles were prepared by a simple microwave irradiation method under mild conditions. The obtained nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, TEM and EDX. The results indicated that high purity of nanosized ZnS and CdS was successfully obtained with cubic and hexagonal crystalline structures, respectively. The band gap energies of ZnS and CdS nanoparticles were estimated using UV-visible absorption spectra to be about 4.22 and 2.64 eV, respectively. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was carried out using physical mixtures of ZnS and CdS nanoparticles under a 500-W halogen lamp of visible light irradiation. The residual concentration of methylene blue solution was monitored using UV-visible absorption spectrometry. From the study of the variation in composition of ZnS:CdS, a composition of 1:4 (by weight) was found to be very efficient for degradation of methylene blue. In this case the degradation efficiency of the photocatalyst nanoparticles after 6 h irradiation time was about 73% with a reaction rate of 3.61 × 10-3 min-1. Higher degradation efficiency and reaction rate were achieved by increasing the amount of photocatalyst and initial pH of the solution.
A double-lateral-gate p-type junctionless transistor is fabricated on a low-doped (10(15)) silicon-on-insulator wafer by a lithography technique based on scanning probe microscopy and two steps of wet chemical etching. The experimental transfer characteristics are obtained and compared with the numerical characteristics of the device. The simulation results are used to investigate the pinch-off mechanism, from the flat band to the off state. The study is based on the variation of the carrier density and the electric-field components. The device is a pinch-off transistor, which is normally in the on state and is driven into the off state by the application of a positive gate voltage. We demonstrate that the depletion starts from the bottom corner of the channel facing the gates and expands toward the center and top of the channel. Redistribution of the carriers due to the electric field emanating from the gates creates an electric field perpendicular to the current, toward the bottom of the channel, which provides the electrostatic squeezing of the current.
A study was carried out on the concentration of REEs (Dy, Sm, Eu,Yb, Lu, La and Ce) that are present in the core marine sediments of East Malaysia from three locations at South China Sea and one location each at Sulu Sea and Sulawesi Sea. The sediment samples were collected at a depth of between 49 and 109 m, dried, and crushed to powdery form. The entire core sediments prepared for Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) were weighted approximately 0.0500 g to 0.1000 g for short irradiation and 0.1500 g to 0.2000 g for long irradiation. The samples were irradiated with a thermal neutron flux of 4.0×10(12) cm(-2) s(-1) in a TRIGA Mark II research reactor operated at 750 kW. Blank samples and standard reference materials SL-1 were also irradiated for calibration and quality control purposes. It was found that the concentration of REEs varies in the range from 0.11 to 36.84 mg/kg. The chondrite-normalized REEs for different stations suggest that all the REEs are from similar origins. There was no significant REEs contamination as the enrichment factors normalized for Fe fall in the range of 0.42-2.82.
MWCNTs/TiO2 nanocomposite was prepared by oxidising MWCNT in H2SO4/HNO3 then decorating it with TiO2-p25 nanopowder. The composites were characterised using XRD, TEM, FT-IR PL and UV-vis spectroscopy. The TEM images have shown TiO2 nanoparticles immobilised onto the sidewalls of the MWCNTs. The UV-vis spectrum confirms that the nanocomposites can significantly absorb more light in the visible regions compared with the commercial TiO2 (P25). The catalytic activity of these nanocomposites was determined by photooxidation of MB aqueous solution in the presence of visible light. The MWCNTs/TiO2 (1:3) mass ratio showed maximum degradation efficiency. However, its activity was more favourable in alkaline and a neutral pH than an acidic medium.
This work describes a fast, clean and low-cost approach to synthesize ZnS-PVA nanofluids consisting of ZnS nanoparticles homogeneously distributed in a PVA solution. The ZnS nanoparticles were formed by the electrostatic force between zinc and sulfur ions induced by gamma irradiation at a dose range from 10 to 50 kGy. Several experimental characterizations were conducted to investigate the physical and chemical properties of the samples. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to determine the chemical structure and bonding conditions of the final products, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for determining the shape morphology and average particle size, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) for confirming the formation and crystalline structure of ZnS nanoparticles, UV-visible spectroscopy for measuring the electronic absorption characteristics, transient hot wire (THW) and photoacoustic measurements for measuring the thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity of the samples, from which, for the first time, the values of specific heat and thermal diffusivity of the samples were then calculated.
SnO₂ nanoparticle production using thermal treatment with tin(II) chloride dihydrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone capping agent precursor materials for calcination was investigated. Samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffuse UV-vis reflectance spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the electron spin resonance (ESR). XRD analysis found tetragonal crystalline structures in the SnO₂ nanoparticles generated through calcination. EDX and FT-IR spectroscopy phase analysis verified the derivation of the Sn and O in the SnO₂ nanoparticle samples from the precursor materials. An average nanoparticle size of 4–15.5 nm was achieved by increasing calcination temperature from 500 °C to 800 °C, as confirmed through TEM. The valence state and surface composition of the resulting nanoparticle were analyzed using XPS. Diffuse UV-vis reflectance spectra were used to evaluate the optical energy gap using the Kubelka-Munk equation. Greater calcination temperature resulted in the energy band gap falling from 3.90 eV to 3.64 eV. PL spectra indicated a positive relationship between particle size and photoluminescence. Magnetic features were investigated through ESR, which revealed the presence of unpaired electrons. The magnetic field resonance decreases along with an increase of the g-factor value as the calcination temperature increased from 500 °C to 800 °C. Finally, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 Gram (–ve) and Bacillus subtilis UPMC 1175 Gram (+ve) were used for in vitro evaluation of the tin oxide nanoparticle’s antibacterial activity. This work indicated that the zone of inhibition of 22 mm has good antibacterial activity toward the Gram-positive B. subtilis UPMC 1175.