http://www.hindawi.comThe latest articles from Hindawi Publishing Corporation© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/329601New types of thermoelectric materials characterized by highly anisotropic Fermi surfaces and thus anisotropic Seebeck coefficients are reviewed. Early studies revealed that there is an induced voltage in high TC oxide superconductors when the surface of the films is exposed to short light pulses. Subsequent investigations proved that the effect is due to anisotropic components of the Seebeck tensor, and the type of materials is referred to atomic layer thermopile (ALT). Our recent studies indicate that multilayer thin films at the nanoscale demonstrate enhanced ALT properties. This is in agreement with the prediction in seeking the larger figure of merit (ZT) thermoelectric materials in nanostructures. The study of ALT materials provides both deep insight of anisotropic transport property of these materials and at the same time potential materials for applications, such as light detector and microcooler. By measuring the ALT properties under various perturbations, it is found that the information on anisotropic transport properties can be provided. The information sometimes is not easily obtained by other tools due to the nanoscale phase coexistence in these materials. Also, some remained open questions and future development in this research direction have been well discussed.P. X. Zhang and H.-U. Habermeier© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/964046Fluorinated hybrid organic-inorganic silicates (ORMOSIL) thin films display exceptional mechanical properties in terms of both hardness and elastic modulus that can be finely tuned by varying the angular velocity of the spin coating process. Hence, as traditional alkyl-modified silica xerogels generally show poor mechanical behavior, these materials offer a solution to a major limitation to applicability of ORMOSIL-based films.Mario Pagliaro, Giovanni Palmisano, Eric Le Bourhis, Rosaria Ciriminna, Laura M. Ilharco, and Alexandra Fidalgo© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/649130For the first time copper 3-(6-mercaptohexyl)thiophene-protected nanoparticles (Cu T6SH) have been synthesized by a one-phase system, utilizing an NaBH4/LiCl mixture in diglyme as the reducing reagent and avoiding water medium dissolving copper salts. The prepared nanoclusters, characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), have shown a constant spherical morphology with a size dimension of 5-6 nm in diameter. After their synthesis, no morphological evolution and irreversible aggregation process has been observed after a storage in CH2Cl2 at low temperature for a period up to six months long. Cu T6SH nanoparticles have been investigated by UV-Visible (UV-Vis) and Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR) spectroscopes to characterize the alkylthiophenes monolayer conformations and the particles optoelectronic properties. The UV-Vis reveals the lack of the surface plasmonic band, previously observed in Cu-nanosized clusters at about 556–570 nm, and shows a wide-band centered at 293 nm, probably due to the high-conformational surface ordering of thiophene rings on the Cu core. The results highlight the importance of the modifications ported to the well-known one-phase synthetic reactions to obtain a clear lack, even after a storage of six months, of any irreversible aggregation that has always characterized chain thiophene-protected metallic nanoparticles.Elisabetta Foresti, Guido Fracasso, Massimiliano Lanzi, Isidoro Giorgio Lesci, Luisa Paganin, Tommaso Zuccheri, and Norberto Roveri© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/106970The research on the development of new biomaterials that promote bone tissue regeneration is receiving great interest by the biomedical scientific community. Recent advances in nanotechnology have allowed the design of materials with nanostructure similar to that of natural bone. These materials can promote new bone formation by inducing the formation of nanocrystalline apatites analogous to the mineral phase of natural bone onto their surfaces, i.e. they are bioactive. They also stimulate osteoblast proliferation and differentiation and, therefore, accelerate the healing processes. Silica-based ordered mesoporous materials are excellent candidates to be used as third generation bioceramics that enable the adsorption and local control release of biological active agents that promote bone regeneration. This local delivery capability together with the bioactive behavior of mesoporous silicas opens up promising expectations in the bioclinical field. In this review, the last advances in nanochemistry aimed at designing and tailoring the chemical and textural properties of mesoporous silicas for biomedical applications are described. The recent developed strategies to synthesize bioactive glasses with ordered mesopore arrangements are also summarized. Finally, a deep discussion about the influence of the textural parameters and organic modification of mesoporous silicas on molecules adsorption and controlled release is performed.Isabel Izquierdo-Barba, Montserrat Colilla, and María Vallet-Regí© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/783981A wet-mechanochemical reaction for surface modification of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been developed. In the treatment, CNTs reacted with potassium hydroxide in alcohol solvent at room temperature under mechanical milling. The results from Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy demonstrate that the nonreactive surfaces of CNTs have been modified successfully by multiple hydroxyl groups. Functionalized carbon nanotubes exhibit higher zeta potential values indicating their high dispersibility in polar solvents. XRD studies corroborate that the surface functionalization does not affect the basic crystal domain size of CNTs. TEM observations reveal that CNTs have been cut into shorter ones by the milling. Shortened CNTs with functionalized surfaces show good dispersion properties.Lifei Chen, Huaqing Xie, Yang Li, and Wei Yu© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/869354Nanocomposites based on segmented poly(urethane urea) were prepared by reacting a poly(diisocyanate) with diamine-modified Laponite-RD nanoparticles that served as a chain extender. The nanocomposites were prepared at a constant NH2 to NCO mole ratio of 0.95, while varying the fraction of diamine-modified Laponite relative to the free diamine chain extender. Compared to neat poly(urethane urea), all nanocomposites showed increased tensile strength and elongation at break. As Laponite loading increased, tensile properties passed through a maximum at a particle concentration of 1 mass%, at which a 300% increase in tensile strength and 40% increase in elongation at break were observed. A maximum in urea and urethane hard-domain melting endotherms was also observed at this Laponite loading. Optimal mechanical and thermal properties coincided with a minimum in the size of the inorganic Laponite phase. Nanocomposites containing diamine-modified Laponite had higher tensile strengths than those with nonreactive monoamine-modified Laponite or diamine-modified Cloisite.Joe-Lahai Sormana, Santanu Chattopadhyay, and J. Carson Meredith© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/425195Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized by CVD on industrially manufactured highly crystalline vapor-grown carbon fibers (VGCFs). Two catalyst metals (Ni and Fe) and carbon precursor gases (C2H2 and CO) were studied. The catalysts were deposited on the fibers by sputtering and experiments carried out in two different reactors. Samples were characterized by electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). Iron was completely inactive as catalyst with both C2H2 and CO for reasons discussed in the paper. The combination of Ni and C2H2 was very active for secondary CNT synthesis, without any pretreatment of the fibers. The optimal temperature for CNT synthesis was 750∘C, with total gas flow of 650 cm3min⁡−1 of C2H2, H2, and Ar in 1.0:6.7:30 ratio.Toma Susi, Albert G. Nasibulin, Hua Jiang, and Esko I. Kauppinen© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/243792A bottom-up methodology to fabricate a nanostructured material by Au nanoclusters on 6H-SiC surface is illustrated. Furthermore, a methodology to control its structural properties by thermal-induced self-organization of the Au nanoclusters is demonstrated. To this aim, the self-organization kinetic mechanisms of Au nanoclusters on SiC surface were experimentally studied by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and theoretically modelled by a ripening process. The fabricated nanostructured materials were used to probe, by local conductive atomic force microscopy analyses, the electrical properties of nano-Schottky contact Au nanocluster/SiC. Strong efforts were dedicated to correlate the structural and electrical characteristics: the main observation was the Schottky barrier height dependence of the nano-Schottky contact on the cluster size. Such behavior was interpreted considering the physics of few electron quantum dots merged with the concepts of ballistic transport and thermoionic emission finding a satisfying agreement between the theoretical prediction and the experimental data. The fabricated Au nanocluster/SiC nanocontact is suggested as a prototype of nano-Schottky diode integrable in complex nanoelectronic circuits.F. Ruffino, A. Canino, M. G. Grimaldi, F. Giannazzo, F. Roccaforte, and V. Raineri© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/354258BaCe0.9−xZrxY0.1O3−δ powders were synthesized by a solid-state reaction. Different contents of cerium and zirconium were studied. Pellets were sintered using either conventional sintering in air at 1700∘C or the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technique. The density of the samples sintered by SPS is much higher than by conventional sintering. Higher values of ionic conductivity were obtained for the SPS sample.S. Ricote, G. Caboche, C. Estournes, and N. Bonanos© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/769250The carriers in a carbon nanotube (CNT), like in any quasi-1-dimensional (Q1D) nanostructure, have analog energy spectrum only in the quasifree direction; while the other two Cartesian directions are quantum-confined leading to a digital (quantized) energy spectrum. We report the salient features of the mobility and saturation velocity controlling the charge transport in a semiconducting single-walled CNT (SWCNT) channel. The ultimate drift velocity in SWCNT due to the high-electric-field streaming is based on the asymmetrical distribution function that converts randomness in zero-field to a stream-lined one in a very high electric field. Specifically, we show that a higher mobility in an SWCNT does not necessarily lead to a higher saturation velocity that is limited by the mean intrinsic velocity depending upon the band parameters. The intrinsic velocity is found to be appropriate thermal velocity in the nondegenerate regime, increasing with the temperature, but independent of carrier concentration. However, this intrinsic velocity is the Fermi velocity that is independent of temperature, but depends strongly on carrier concentration. The velocity that saturates in a high electric field can be lower than the intrinsic velocity due to onset of a quantum emission. In an SWCNT, the mobility may also become ballistic if the length of the channel is comparable or less than the mean free path.Mohammad Taghi Ahmadi, Razali Ismail, Michael L. P. Tan, and Vijay K. Arora© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/931380Ping Xiao and Robert Dorey© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/282187Two kinds of β-SiAlON nanostructure whiskers, rod-like and wool-like whiskers, were synthesized by pressure-less sintering method at 1773 K for 5 hours. The whiskers synthesized were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and high-resolution electron microscope (HREM) techniques. It was found that diameter distribution of rod-like whiskers was about 80–250 nm, while it was about 45–55 nm in diameter for the wool-like whiskers. The growth mechanisms of β-SiAlON nanostructure whiskers are discussed by the vapor-solid (VS) and vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanisms, respectively.Pengli Dong, Xidong Wang, Mei Zhang, Min Guo, and Seshadri Seetharaman© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/194524We performed preliminary experiments on the adhesion of a Tokay gecko on surfaces with different roughness, with or without particles with significant different granulometry, before/after or during the moult. The results were analyzed using the Weibull statistics.E. Lepore, S. Brianza, F. Antoniolli, M. Buono, A. Carpinteri, and N. Pugno© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/249514The time-resolved two-photon photoemission technique (TR-2PPE) has been applied to study static and dynamic properties of localized surface plasmons (LSP) in silver nanoparticles. Laterally, integrated measurements show the difference between LSP excitation and nonresonant single electron-hole pair creation. Studies below the optical diffraction limit were performed with the detection method of time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy (TR-PEEM). This microscopy technique with a resolution down to 40 nm enables a systematic study of retardation effects across single nanoparticles. In addition, as will be shown in this paper, it is a highly sensitive sensor for coupling effects between nanoparticles.D. Bayer, C. Wiemann, O. Gaier, M. Bauer, and M. Aeschlimann© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/609184Core-shell hybrid nanoparticles, where the core is an inorganic nanoparticle and the shell an organic polymer, are prepared by a two-step method. Inorganic nanoparticles are first dispersed in water using poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) prepared by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization as dispersant. Then, the resulting dispersion is engaged in a radical emulsion polymerization process whereby a hydrophobic organic monomer (styrene and butyl acrylate) is polymerized to form the shell of the hybrid nanoparticle. This method is extremely versatile, allowing the preparation of a variety of nanocomposites with metal oxides (alumina, rutile, anatase, barium titanate, zirconia, copper oxide), metals (Mo, Zn), and even inorganic nitrides (Si3N4).Jean-Christophe Daigle and Jerome P. Claverie© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/620412Colloidal solid-solution-like Au-Ag alloy nanoclusters of different compositions were synthesized through citrate reduction of mixed metal ions of low concentrations, without using any other protective or capping agents. Optical absorption of the alloy nanoclusters was studied both theoretically and experimentally. The position of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption band of the nanoclusters could be tuned from 419 nm to 521 nm through the variation of their composition. Considering effective dielectric constant of the alloy, optical absorption spectra for the nanoclusters were calculated using Mie theory, and compared with the experimentally obtained spectra. Theoretically obtained optical spectra well resembled the experimental spectra when the true size distribution of the nanoparticles was considered. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM), high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) imaging, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) revealed the true alloy nature of the nanoparticles with nominal composition being preserved. The synthesis technique can be extended to other bimetallic alloy nanoclusters containing Ag.J. F. Sánchez-Ramírez, U. Pal, L. Nolasco-Hernández, J. Mendoza-Álvarez, and J. A. Pescador-Rojas© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/408606Jun Lou and Junlan Wang© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/582973The nacre structure consists of laminated interlocked mineral platelets separated by nanoscale organic layers. Here, the role of close proximity of mineral to the proteins on mechanical behavior of the protein is investigated through steered molecular dynamics simulations. Our simulations indicate that energy required for unfolding protein in the proximity of mineral aragonite is several times higher than that for isolated protein in the absence of the mineral. Here, we present details of specific mechanisms which result in higher energy for protein unfolding in the proximity of mineral. At the early stage of pulling, peaks in the load-displacement (LD) plot at mineral proximity are quantitatively correlated to the interaction energy between atoms involved in the latching phenomenon of amino acid side chain to aragonite surface. Water plays an important role during mineral and protein interaction and water molecules closer to the mineral surface are highly oriented and remain rigidly attached as the protein strand is pulled. Also, the high magnitude of load for a given displacement originates from attractive interactions between the protein, protein-bound water, and mineral. This study provides an insight into mineral-protein interactions that are predominant in biological nanocomposites and also provides guidelines towards design of biomimetic nanocomposites.Pijush Ghosh, Dinesh R. Katti, and Kalpana S. Katti© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/383020A method for the preparation of ligand-covered superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles via exchange reactions is described. 1,2-diol-ligands are used to provide a stable binding of the terminally modified organic ligands onto the surface of γ-Fe2O3-nanoparticles (r∼4 nm). The 1,2-diol-ligands are equipped with variable terminal functional groups (i.e., hydrogen bonding moieties, azido- bromo-, fluorescent moieties) and can be easily prepared via osmium tetroxide-catalyzed 1,2-dihydroxylation reactions of the corresponding terminal alkenes. Starting from octylamine-covered γ-Fe2O3-nanoparticles, ligand exchange was effected at 50∘C over 24–48 hours, whereupon complete ligand exchange is taking place as proven by thermogravimetric (TGA)- and IR-spectroscopic measurements. A detailed kinetic analysis of the ligand exchange reaction was performed via TGA analysis, demonstrating a complete ligand exchange after 24 hours. The method offers a simple approach for the generation of various γ-Fe2O3-nanoparticles with functional organic shells in a one-step procedure.Wolfgang H. Binder, Harald Weinstabl, and Robert Sachsenhofer© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/840254The objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of electrospun nanofiber reinforcement on the properties of commercially available, hyperbranched polymer modified (Hybrane, 0.3 wt.% DSM) dental formulations. The emergence of functionalized nanoscale reinforcements having large surface area (hundreds of square meters/gram) has enabled the design of novel nanocomposites with new and complex structures leading to enhanced mechanical and physical properties. Electrospun nanofibers from a range of polymer chemistries (PVOH, PLLA, Nylon 6) have been investigated as a reinforcing phase at levels between 0.01 and 0.3 wt.%, with and without a silane coupling agent surface treatment. The experimental results indicate that 0.05 wt.% reinforcement with 250 nm diameter PVOH nanofibers leads to a 30% improvement in compressive strength, coupled with a shrinkage reduction of about 50%. Electrospun fiber reinforcement by other chemistries or at other diameters showed either no property improvement or led to property loss.H. Dodiuk-Kenig, K. Lizenboim, S. Roth, B. Zalsman, W. A. McHale, M. Jaffe, and K. Griswold© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/267161Nitrogen-rich titanium nitride (TiN) thin films containing excess nitrogen up to 87.0 at.% were produced on (100) Si substrates via the reactive magnetron DC-sputtering of a commercially available 99.995 at.% pure Ti target within an argon-nitrogen (Ar-N2) atmosphere with a 20-to-1 gas ratio. The process pressure (PP) and substrate temperature (TS) at which deposition occurred were varied systematically between 0.26 Pa–1.60 Pa and between 15.0∘C–600∘C, respectively, and their effects on the chemical composition, surface morphology, and preferred orientation were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The EDS analysis confirms increasing nitrogen content with increasing PP and TS. The SEM images reveal a uniform and crystallized surface morphology as well as a closely packed cross-sectional morphology for all crystalline films and a loosely packed cross-sectional morphology for amorphous films. Films produced at lower PP and TS have a pyramidal surface morphology which transitions to a columnar and stratified structure as PP and TS increase. The XRD analysis confirms the existence of only the δ-TiN phase and the absence of other nitrides, oxides, and/or sillicides in all cases. It also indicates that at lower PP and TS, the preferred orientation relative to the substrate is along the (111) planes, and that it transitions to a random orientation along the (200), (220), and (311) planes as PP and TS increase and these results correlate with and qualify those observed by SEM.E. Penilla and J. Wang© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/629185The effects of BaSO4 additions on the wetting of alumina by molten aluminum were studied by the sessile drop technique. To study the effect of BaSO4 decomposition (1100–1150∘C), the additions were treated at two temperatures 700∘C (973 K) and 1450∘C (1723 K), respectively. BaSO4 additions at low and high temperatures did not improve the nonwetting character of these compositions. However, at higher firing temperature, the formation of BA6 (BaO•6Al2O3) has a nonwetting trend with increasing its content. To address the BA6 specifically a pure BaO•6Al2O3 was produced and tested. It was more nonwetting than the pure alumina. After the analysis of the contact angles for the BaSO4 and the BA6 (BaO•6Al2O3), it was concluded that these additions to alumina do not inhibit wetting by molten aluminum. In fact, at the addition levels common for refractories, the wetting tendency of molten aluminum is enhanced. Alternative explanations for the effectiveness of BaSO4 additions to alumina refractories are discussed.Joaquin Aguilar-Santillan© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/698759Among various ways to produce nanowires, anodic alumina membrane- (AAM-) based synthesis has constantly received much attention, because AAM has a uniform and parallel porous nanostructure which makes it an ideal template material for fabricating highly ordered nanostructures. In this paper, we report fabrication of InSb nanowire arrays with diameter of 200 nm and 30 nm by direct current electrodeposition inside the nanochannels of anodic alumina membranes without subsequent annealing. The nanowires have four major growth directions, (220) being the most dominant with structure defects such as twins. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results demonstrate that these InSb nanowires are uniform with diameters about 200 nm and 30 nm, corresponding to the pore diameter of the AAMs. The I-V measurement of a single nanowire is also reported with encouraging preliminary results.M. Ibrahim Khan, Xu Wang, Krassimir N. Bozhilov, and Cengiz S. Ozkan© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/894352Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) coatings combine a very low surface roughness with the outstanding diamond properties, such as superlative hardness, low self-friction coefficient, high wear and corrosion resistance, and biotolerance, which are ideal features for applications in medicine (knee and hip replacement) and surgical tools. The present work presents a comprehensive study of the cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of NCD films grown by hot-filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) technique, aiming such future applications. Cytotoxicity was evaluated in vitro by seeding human gingival fibroblasts on the NCD surface for 14 days, while specific biocompatibility was assessed on samples seeded with human bone marrow-derived osteoblasts during 21 days. The NCD coatings proved to be noncytotoxic in the preliminary human gingival fibroblast cell cultures, as denoted by a notable sequence of cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation events. In the specific biocompatibility assay envisaging bone tissue applications, NCD coatings induced human osteoblast proliferation and the stimulation of differentiation markers, compared to standard polystyrene tissue culture plates.Margarida Amaral, Pedro S. Gomes, Maria A. Lopes, José D. Santos, Rui F. Silva, and Maria H. Fernandes© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/250370We report the selective growth of α-Al2O3 nanowires and nanobelts via a catalyst-free chemical vapor deposition process under ambient pressure. By controlling the flow rates of the carrier gas, high-yield production of uniform alumina nanowires with diameter distribution (100 nm–200 nm) was achieved at a high growth rate over 200 μm/hour. Alumina nanobelts with variable width were also synthesized by modulating the carrier gas purge process. Further, the effects of temperatures and carrier gas flow rates on the growth of alumina nanostructures were also investigated. Oxygen partial pressure and supersaturation level of the aluminum suboxide are thought to be important factors in the formation process of the alumina nanowires or nanobelts. The typical growth of the alumina nanowires and nanobelts can be ascribed to vapor-solid (VS) mechanism.Yong Zhang, Ruying Li, Xiaorong Zhou, Mei Cai, and Xueliang Sun© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/516286It is crucial for hydrophobic drugs to be dissolved and stabilized by carriers in aqueous systems and then to be delivered into target cells. An amphiphilic self-assembling peptide EAK16-I (Ac-AEAKAEAKAEAKAEAK-NH2) is reported here to be able to stabilize a model hydrophobic compound, pyrene, in aqueous solution, resulting in the formation of colloidal suspensions. Egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) vesicles are used as plasma membranes mimic. Fluorescence data shows that the pyrene is presented in the crystalline form when stabilized by EAK16-I and molecularly migrates from its peptide encapsulations into the membrane bilayers of EPC vesicles when the suspension is mixed with EPC vesicles. Furthermore, the release rate can be controlled by changing peptide-to-pyrene ratio, and the higher ratios lead to the slower release rates due to a thicker encapsulation on the pyrene microcrystals. This demonstrates that EAK16-I, as a promising nanobiomaterial, has the potential to be a hydrophobic compounds carrier.Jing Wang, Fushan Tang, Feng Li, Juan Lin, Yinghui Zhang, Linfang Du, and Xiaojun Zhao© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/858235A considerable range of surface nanostructures can be fabricated by the selective dissolution of elements or phases from metallic alloys. Selectively etched electrodeposited multilayers may find useful application in optoelectronic and MEMS devices. One issue with electrodeposited multilayers is that the fine-scale multilayer structure can often exhibit significant waviness if the band layer spacing is on the same order of magnitude as the grain size. In the present study, the mean grain size was reduced to below 10 nm in a compositionally modulated Ni-Fe alloy. Preferential etching on the electroform cross-section resulted in highly uniform and directional surface channels. The evolution of this nanopatterned surface morphology was characterized by atomic force microscopy and directional roughness parameters were obtained.P. Egberts and G. D. Hibbard© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/954874A new resistance formulation for carbon nanotubes is suggested using fractal approach. The new formulation is also valid for other nonmetal conductors including nerve fibers, conductive polymers, and molecular wires. Our theoretical prediction agrees well with experimental observation.Ji-Huan He© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/418050The reduction of nanodevices has given recent attention to nanoporous materials due to their structure and geometry. However, the thermophysical properties of these materials are relatively unknown. In this article, an expression for thermal conductivity of nanoporous structures is derived based on the assumption that the finite size of the ligaments leads to electron-ligament wall scattering. This expression is then used to analyze the thermal conductivity of nanoporous structures in the event of electron-phonon nonequilibrium.Patrick E. Hopkins, Pamela M. Norris, Leslie M. Phinney, Steven A. Policastro, and Robert G. Kelly© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/GetArticle.aspx?doi=10.1155/2008/257691Zeolite encapsulated nanocrystalline CuO is synthesized and characterized by powder XRD and HRTEM analyses which clearly show that the particles are less than 15 nm and the nanoparticles are highly dispersed. This nano CuO encapsulated CuY zeolite is used as catalyst in the oxidation of aromatic secondary alcohols. CuY zeolite acts as an efficient support for nano CuO, by stabilizing it and preventing its aggregation. Plausible mechanisms for the formation of the various products are also given.Sakthivel Vijaikumar, Thirumeni Subramanian, and Kasi Pitchumani© 2008, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.