http://www.hindawi.comThe latest articles from Hindawi Publishing Corporation© 2012, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/451473/Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized using Fe/ZnO catalyst by a dual-furnace thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method at 800–1000°C using nitrogen gas with a constant flow rate of 150 sccm/min as a gas carrier. Palm olein (PO), ferrocene in the presence of 0.05 M zinc nitrate, and a p-type silicon wafer were used as carbon source, catalyst precursor, and sample target, respectively. D, G, and G′ bands were observed at 1336–1364, 1559–1680, and 2667–2682 cm-1, respectively. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with the highest degree of crystallinity were obtained at around 8000°C, and the smallest diameter of about 2 nm was deposited on the silicon substrate at 1000°C.Syazwan Afif Mohd Zobir, Suriani Abu Bakar, Saifollah Abdullah, Zulkarnain Zainal, Siti Halimah Sarijo, and Mohamad RusopCopyright © 2012 Syazwan Afif Mohd Zobir et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/519458/We report on an aqueous synthesis of cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanocrystals by using dithiol-functionalized ionic liquids (dTFILs). The dTFILs were designed to have dithiol and vinylimidazolium functional groups and used as a ligand molecule of CdTe quantum dot (QD) to utilize the bidendate chelate interaction afforded by the dithiol groups of dTFILs. The photoluminescence quantum yield of dTFIL-capped CdTe QDs reached up to ~40%, and their luminescent property was maintained for 8 weeks, suggesting an improved stability in water phase. This approach will provide a new synthetic route to the water soluble QDs.Suk Young Choi, Jong Pil Shim, Dong Sun Kim, TaeYoung Kim, and Kwang S. SuhCopyright © 2012 Suk Young Choi et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/691874/Spherical MgO nanoparticles with a hollow inside, that is, MgO hollow nanospheres, were created in Ar/O2 plasma produced by radio frequency (RF) impulse discharge using a Mg rod electrode. The hollow nanospheres were found on the SiO2 plates placed near the powered Mg electrode. The electron refraction pattern showed that each nanosphere was made of a single crystal of MgO. Since the shape was spherical, these nanoparticles seemed to be created during the levitation in the plasma without touching any walls. The formation mechanism with a quasiliquid cooling model was also discussed.Satoru Iizuka and Takumasa MuraokaCopyright © 2012 Satoru Iizuka and Takumasa Muraoka. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/583417/Hydrangea-like F-doped TiO2 microspheres have been synthesized on a large scale by a simple hydrothermal process using potassium titanium oxalate as the titanium source, ammonium fluoride and hydrogen peroxide as the etchant. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated using carbamazepine as the target organic molecule under UV and visible light irradiation. Structural characterization indicates that the hydrangea-like TiO2 microspheres, with an average diameter of 2.80 μm, are composed of numerous anatase TiO2 petals. Moreover, it is found that both the NH4F and H2O2 dosages have important effects on the formation of the hydrangea-like structures. In addition, photocatalytic experiments show that the hydrangea-like TiO2 microspheres calcined at 500°C exhibit high photocatalytic efficiency under both UV and visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the successful fluorine doping, good crystallinity, and the unique nanostructures.Miaomiao Ye, Yulong Yang, Yan Zhang, Tuqiao Zhang, and Weiyun ShaoCopyright © 2012 Miaomiao Ye et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/483093/A special mechanics/material phenomenon involving nanocomposites is the agglomeration of nanofillers at high volume fractions of nanofillers. Numerous experimental investigations on nanocomposites have indicated a significant decrease in mechanical properties, due to the agglomeration of nanofillers. This paper describes a simple effective flaw model to correlate the local mechanical behavior of agglomerated nanoparticles with the change in global strengths of nanocomposites. The estimated bending strength reduction from our model is shown to be similar to experimental results reported by previous researchers. These results can be used as a guide for future nanocomposite design and development. Future nanomaterial manufacturing should be focused on eliminating the largest agglomerates, rather than limiting the nanofiller volume fraction. Meanwhile, by reducing the nanofiller agglomerate size, we expect that a high critical nanofiller volume fraction could be obtained to delay the mechanical property reduction.Arun Krishnan and L. Roy XuCopyright © 2012 Arun Krishnan and L. Roy Xu. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/393084/Thin films of Se35Te65-xGex (x= 0, 3, 6, 9,12) nanoparticles were synthesized using thermal evaporation method. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and absorption and transmission spectra. XRD results show that these films are of amorphous nature, while SEM images show nanoparticles with average particle size around 30 nm. No significant changes are observed in morphology of the deposited films by changing concentrations of Te and Ge. The optical behaviors of these films have been studied using the absorption and transmission spectra in the spectral region 400–1100 nm. The absorption, extinction coefficients and refractive index were obtained and investigated in more detail. The optical band gap (Eg) values were also determined and are found to decrease from 0.83 to 0.69 eV by increasing the concentration of Ge from 0 to 12. The transmission spectra for the thin films of Se35Te65-xGex nanoparticles show strong absorption at wavelength less than 500 nm and become highly transparent at wavelength above 800 nm. No significant changes in the transmission spectra are observed by increasing concentration of Ge. These results might be useful for development of optical disks and other semiconducting devices based on these nanochalcogenides.Numan Salah, Sami S. Habib, Zishan H. Khan, Esam Alarfaj, and Shamshad A. KhanCopyright © 2012 Numan Salah et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/875295/Fluffy sodium titanate nanostructures have been fabricated by a simple hydrothermal method with metatitanic acid as precursor. The obtained nanostructures exhibit as the aggregation of nanosheets, and the surface area of the nanostructure is about 110.59 m2/g. Such nanoarchitecture indicates high adsorption capacity to some metal ions, such as Cd2+, and the maximum adsorption capacity has been estimated to be 255.18 mg/g. The possible reasons that are responsible after its high adsorption ability, have been ascribed to the tiny structure, the ion-exchange ability and the large surface area of the sodium titanate nanostructures. And this may greatly enlarge its application potential as an adsorbent.Gang Li, Lide Zhang, and Ming FangCopyright © 2012 Gang Li et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/241470/Cerium-doped hafnium oxides (CexHf1−xO2) and lanthanum-doped zirconium oxides (LaxZr1−xO2) were investigated. The highest dielectric constants, k, were obtained from lightly doped oxides with an La content of x=0.09 and a Ce content of x=0.1, for which k-values of 33~40 were obtained. The dielectric relaxation appears to be related to the size of crystal grains formed during annealing, which was dependent on the doping level. The physical and mathematical models were used to analyze the relationship between k-values and frequencies. The variations in the k-values up to megahertz frequencies for both CexHf1−xO2 and LaxZr1−xO2 are simulated based on the Curie-von Schweidler (CS) or Havriliak-Negami (HN) relationships. Concerning the lightly doped CexHf1−xO2 and LaxZr1−xO2, the data extracted are best modeled by the HN law, while LaxZr1−xO2 with doping level from x=0.22 to 0.63 are best modelled based on the CS law.Chun Zhao, C. Z. Zhao, Jing Tao, M. Werner, S. Taylor, and P. R. ChalkerCopyright © 2012 Chun Zhao et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/237853/The synthesis of Fe/Cr-pillared bentonites starting from a 2% clay suspension and also from dry clay using ultrasound treatment for both the aging and the intercalation steps of the pillaring solution considerably reduces the time and the amount of water required compared with the conventional synthesis method. The catalysts were characterized using scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive system (SEM-EDS), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 and CO2-adsorption/desorption, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and the catalytic activity of selected samples was evaluated for the phenol oxidation reaction. The results of XRD analysis showed that delaminated Fe/Cr-pillared bentonite with d001 value 68 Å was observed after intercalation a direct mixture of the pillaring solution and dry clay. The adsorption-desorption isotherm analysis showed that the samples synthesized with the proposed methodology in intercalation stage have similar textural properties and these properties do not change remarkably with synthesis conditions. In addition, the characterisation studies showed that the physicochemical properties of samples synthesized by ultrasound were comparable to those of sample synthesized by conventional method in this study. The sample synthesized by conventional method show 50% phenol conversion. This value was higher than those of samples synthesized by the ultrasound.Fatma TomulCopyright © 2012 Fatma Tomul. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/283230/The absorption spectra for a gold nanocube and for a gold nanobar are calculated by using the Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA). The results show the excitation of a single albeit broad surface plasmon (SP) band of the gold nanocube. The extinction cross section of the gold nanocube is dominated by the absorption cross section that gains importance as the width increases. Further increasing the nanocube size beyond 80 nm will result in an optical response mainly characterized by scattering properties. The absorption spectrum of the nanobar shows the excitation of both the longitudinal mode (LM) and the transverse mode (TM). The nanobar is also compared to a cylinder, a spherically capped cylinder, and a spheroid of the same aspect ratio. The band position of the TM of the nanobar is red-shifted as compared to the ones calculated for other morphologies, while the LM is either blue-shifted or red-shifted depending on the morphologies considered.Mohammed Alsawafta, Mamoun Wahbeh, and Vo-Van TruongCopyright © 2012 Mohammed Alsawafta et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2012/815696/Luminescent CdS nanocrystals embedded in a polystyrene matrix were successfully prepared. The in situ growth of CdS QDs was realized by thermal treatment of Cd bis(thiolate)/polymer foil at different times and temperatures (240°C and 300°C) of annealing, in order to evaluate their influence on the quantum dots growth process. As a general trend, the increasing of time and temperature of annealing induces a rise of the CdS nanocrystals size into the polymeric matrix. The size distribution, morphology, and structure of the CdS nanoparticles were analysed with HRTEM and XRD experiments. UV-Vis and PL data are strongly size-dependent and were used to investigate the particles' growth process, too. The CdS nanoparticles behavior in solution indicated a general trend of QDs to aggregation. This predisposition was clearly displayed by DLS measurements.F. Antolini, E. Burresi, L. Stroea, V. Morandi, L. Ortolani, G. Accorsi, and M. BlosiCopyright © 2012 F. Antolini et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/793135/Nanopowders of 3NiAl and Al2O3 were synthesized from 3NiO and 5Al powders by high-energy ball milling. Nanocrystalline Al2O3 reinforced composite was consolidated by high-frequency induction-heated sintering within 3 minutes from mechanochemically synthesized powders of Al2O3 and 3NiAl. The advantage of this process is that it allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and inhibition grain growth. Nanocrystalline materials have received much attention as advanced engineering materials with improved physical and mechanical properties. The relative density of the composite was 97%. The average Vickers hardness and fracture toughness values obtained were 804 kg/mm2 and 7.5 MPa⋅m1/2, respectively.In-Jin Shon, In-Yong Ko, Seung-Hoon Jo, Jung-Mann Doh, Jin-Kook Yoon, and Sang-Whan ParkCopyright © 2011 In-Jin Shon et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/570438/It is very important to improve the efficiency of water detoxification techniques. In this study, TiO2 or gold-TiO2 (Au/TiO2) nanocomposite-bound polythene beads were used for the photo-oxidation of rhodamine 6G (R6G) as a model of water organic pollutants. Simple thermal procedures were employed for anchoring TiO2 or Au/TiO2 nanocomposites to polythene beads. The results revealed that the synthesized Au/TiO2 composites exhibited both considerably higher absorption capability of organic pollutants and better photocatalytic activity for the photo-oxidation of R-6G than pure titania. The better photocatalytic activity of the synthesized Au/TiO2 composites film than that of the pure titania film was attributed to high capacity of light absorption intensity and easy diffusion of absorbed pollutants on the absorption sites to photogenerated oxidizing radicals on the photoactive sites.Souad A. Elfeky and Al-Sayed A. Al-SherbiniCopyright © 2011 Souad A. Elfeky and Al-Sayed A. Al-Sherbini. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/697071/Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) stabilized with polyamidoamine dendrimers (Au-PAMAM) or sodium citrate (Au-CITRATE) were synthesized and complexed with polyaniline emeraldine-salt form (ES-PANI). The complexes were characterized using structural and morphological techniques, including X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Zeta Potential analyses, and Fourier-Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). When the Au-CITRATE NPs are added to the polymeric solution, the formation of a precipitate is clearly observed. The precipitate exhibited a different morphology from that found for ES-PANI and Au-CITRATE NPs, suggesting the formation of ES-PANI coating over the surface of Au-CITRATE NPs. On the other hand, when the Au-PAMAM NPs are incorporated into the ES-PANI solution, none interaction was observed, probably due to the repulsive electrostatic interactions, being the organization of the ES-PANI chains unaffected by the presence of the Au-PAMAM NPs.E. A. Sanches, J. C. Soares, R. M. Iost, V. S. Marangoni, G. Trovati, T. Batista, A. C. Mafud, V. Zucolotto, and Y. P. MascarenhasCopyright © 2011 E. A. Sanches et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/162495/The preparation and characterization of hcp and fcc Ni and Ni/NiO nanoparticles is reported. Ni and Ni/NiO nanoparticles were obtained starting from a precursor material prepared using a citric assisted Pechini-type method and, then, followed by a calcination of the precursor in air at either 400 or 600°C for different times. The precursor was analyzed using thermogravimetric and differential thermal methods (TGA-DTA), and the resulting nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and vibrational sample magnetometry. Nanoparticles showed a phase transformation for Ni from hcp to fcc and/or to fcc NiO structure as the calcination time increased. The influence of the phase transition and the formation of NiO on the magnetic properties of the samples are discussed.L. A. García-Cerda, K. M. Bernal-Ramos, Sagrario M. Montemayor, M. A. Quevedo-López, R. Betancourt-Galindo, and D. Bueno-BáquesCopyright © 2011 L. A. García-Cerda et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/876287/Titanium/aluminum ohmic contacts to tapered n-type GaN nanowires with triangular cross-sections were studied. To extract the specific contact resistance, the commonly used transmission line model was adapted to the particular nanowire geometry. The most Al-rich composition of the contact provided a low specific contact resistance (mid 10−8 Ωcm2) upon annealing at 600 °C for 15 s, but it exhibited poor thermal stability due to oxidation of excess elemental Al remaining after annealing, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. On the other hand, less Al-rich contacts required higher annealing temperatures (850 or 900 °C) to reach a minimum specific contact resistance but exhibited better thermal stability. A spread in the specific contact resistance from contact to contact was tentatively attributed to the different facets that were contacted on the GaN nanowires with a triangular cross-section.Gangfeng Ye, Kelvin Shi, Robert Burke, Joan M. Redwing, and Suzanne E. MohneyCopyright © 2011 Gangfeng Ye et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/531217/The present study explored the feasibility of using hexagonal-phase NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd nanocrystals as bimodal probes for fluorescence and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Using a facile and user-friendly strategy, the NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd nanocrystals were synthesized with good water dispensability, high quantum yield (26%), and decent MR T1 relaxivity (r1=2.87 mM−1 s−1). The NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd NCs conjugated by folic acid presented great efficiency in fluorescence imaging of C6 glioma cells in vitro. Meanwhile, in in vivo MR experiments on rats, the NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd NCs also significantly increased T1 signal in the liver, spleen, and kidney even with a low probe dose. The proposed NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd nanoprobes hold promise for simultaneous bimodal fluorescence and MR bioimaging.Wen Ting Ren, Liang Bo Liang, Fei Qi, Zheng Bo Sun, Zhi Yong Yang, Xiao Qi Huang, Qi Zhu Wu, Hong Yan Zhu, Xue Feng Yu, Hong Quan, and Qi Yong GongCopyright © 2011 Wen Ting Ren et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/706293/Fullerene C60 nanotubes (FNTs) were prepared via liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as solvent and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as precipitation agent at 8°C. C60-saturated NMP solutions were exposed to visible light to promote the growth of FNTs. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that fibers prepared in the NMP/IPA system show three different morphologies. On the basis of the different morphologies of fullerene C60 nanofibers (FNFs), a possible growth mechanism to describe the formation process of FNTs is proposed.Yongtao Qu, Wenwen Yu, Shaocen Liang, Shaoxiang Li, Jian Zhao, and Guangzhe PiaoCopyright © 2011 Yongtao Qu et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/935320/Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were soaked in 1.5 simulated body fluid (1.5 SBF) in which inorganic ion concentrations are 1.5 times as high as those in the standard SBF. The influence of the CNFs content in 1.5 SBF and pretreatment of the CNFs on the biomimetical deposition of apatite were investigated. The spherical bone-like apatite particles were deposited on the pristine CNFs soaked in 1.5 SBF. Amount of deposited apatite per a unit of CNFs increased with a decrease in the CNFs content in 1.5 SBF, and it decreased markedly when the CNFs were pretreated with concentrated sulfuric acid/nitric acid (3 : 1 v/v) mixture for longer periods. Such results suggest that too many nucleation sites of apatite, which were functional groups, such as carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, existed on the CNFs in the 1.5 SBF, and most embryos formed on the sites could not grow to critical nuclei and furthermore did not grow to apatite.Seiichi Taruta, Kazuki Kidokoro, Tomohiko Yamakami, Tomohiro Yamaguchi, Kunio Kitajima, Morinobu Endo, and Naoto SaitoCopyright © 2011 Seiichi Taruta et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/145963/Zinc oxide nanoparticles were obtained directly, avoiding the calcination step, by precipitation at 70°C in bicontinuous microemulsions stabilized with a mixture of surfactants sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate/sodium dodecyl sulfate (2/1, wt./wt.) containing 0.7 M zinc nitrate aqueous solution. Two concentrations of aqueous solution of precipitating agent sodium hydroxide were used under different dosing times on microemulsion. Characterization by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy allowed us to identify particles with an acicular rod-like morphology and a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure as small as 8.5 and 30 nm in average diameter and length, respectively. Productivities much higher than those typical in the preparation of zinc oxide nanoparticles via reverse microemulsions were obtained. Particle size was the same at the two studied sodium hydroxide concentrations, while it increases as dosing time of the precipitant agent increases. It is believed that the surfactant film on the microemulsion channels restricts the particle diameter growth.Liliana E. Romo, Hened Saade, Bertha Puente, Ma. Luisa López, Rebeca Betancourt, and Raúl G. LópezCopyright © 2011 Liliana E. Romo et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/189731/The electrical transport behavior of n-n indium nitride nanodot-silicon (InN ND-Si) heterostructure Schottky diodes is reported here, which have been fabricated by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. InN ND structures were grown on a 20 nm InN buffer layer on Si substrates. These dots were found to be single crystalline and grown along [0 0 0 1] direction. Temperature-dependent current density-voltage plots (J-V-T) reveal that the ideality factor (η) and Schottky barrier height (SBH) (ΦB) are temperature dependent. The incorrect values of the Richardson constant (A**) produced suggest an inhomogeneous barrier. Descriptions of the experimental results were explained by using two models. First one is barrier height inhomogeneities (BHIs) model, in which considering an effective area of the inhomogeneous contact provided a procedure for a correct determination of A**. The Richardson constant is extracted ~110 A cm-2 K-2 using the BHI model and that is in very good agreement with the theoretical value of 112 A cm-2 K-2. The second model uses Gaussian statistics and by this, mean barrier height Φ0 and A** were found to be 0.69 eV and 113 A cm-2 K-2, respectively.Mahesh Kumar, Basanta Roul, Thirumaleshwara N. Bhat, Mohana K. Rajpalke, A. T. Kalghatgi, and S. B. KrupanidhiCopyright © 2011 Mahesh Kumar et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/964353/Ethylene polymerization was carried out using highly active metallocene catalysts (Cp2ZrCl2 and Cp2TiCl2) in combination with methylaluminoxane. Titanium (IV) oxide containing 1% Mn as dopant was used as nanofillers. The effects of filler concentration, reaction temperature, and pressure on the thermal and mechanical properties of polymer were analyzed. The improvement of nanoparticles dispersion in the polyethylene matrix was checked by WAXD. The thermal properties were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The filler impact on the melting temperature of polyethylene synthesized using Cp2ZrCl2 was very minimal which is due to the degree of short-chain branching. The ash content was also analyzed for each nanocomposite and found to be in line with the activity of the catalyst. There was a significant increase in the mechanical properties of the polyethylene by addition of filler.S. H. Abdul Kaleel, Bijal Kottukkal Bahuleyan, J. Masihullah, and Mamdouh Al-HarthiCopyright © 2011 S. H. Abdul Kaleel et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/291935/This study examined the deposition of CoFeB thin films on a glass substrate at room temperature (RT), as well as the effects of conducting postannealing at heat annealing TA=150°C for 1 h. The thickness (tf) of the CoFeB thin films ranged from 100 Å to 500 Å. The microstructure, average contact angle, and surface energy properties were also investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that CoFeB films are nanocrystalline at RT and that post-annealing treatment increases in conjunction with the crystallinity. The surface energy of the CoFeB thin films is related to adhesive strength. The CoFeB films form a contact angle of larger than 90∘ with water as a test liquid. This finding demonstrates that the CoFeB film is hydrophobic. As tf increases from 100 Å to 500 Å, the surface energy at RT decreases from 40 mJ/mm2 to 32 mJ/mm2. During post-annealing treatment, the surface energy increases from 32 mJ/mm2 to 35 mJ/mm2, as tf increases from 100 Å to 300 Å; then it decreases to 31 mJ/mm2, as tf increases from 300 Å to 500 Å. The surface energy of the as-deposited CoFeB thin films exceeds that during post-annealing treatment at thicknesses of 100 Å and 200 Å, suggesting that as-deposited CoFeB thin film increases the adhesion.S. K. Wang, Yuan-Tsung Chen, and S. R. JianCopyright © 2011 S. K. Wang et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/275157/This work put forward a facile method for obtaining assembly of aluminum (Al) nanosheets on an Al substrate by hydrothermal process. The results revealed that the ammonia was crucial for forming the assembly of Al nanosheets. In addition, the morphology and microstructure of the as-prepared Al nanosheets were strongly dependent on the hydrothermal temperature. Further, the influence of surfactant on the morphology of Al nanostructures was discussed that the nanosheets could be obtained under CMC of Span-80. A mechanism for forming the assembly of Al nanostructures was proposed that the erosion process based on the vacancies and defects of Al film determined the morphologies of Al nanosheets according to the experimental results.Haijiao Zhang, Huifang Xu, and Can ZhaoCopyright © 2011 Haijiao Zhang et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/454730/In the current research, an easy and inexpensive method is used to synthesize highly crystalline gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires (NWs) on two different substrates [i.e., porous zinc oxide (PZnO) and porous gallium nitride (PGaN)] on Si (111) wafer by thermal evaporation without any catalyst. Microstructural studies by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscope measurements reveal the role of the substrates in the nucleation and alignment of the GaN NWs. Further structural and optical characterizations were performed using high-resolution X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Results indicate that the NWs have a single-crystal hexagonal GaN structure and growth direction in the (0001) plane. The quality and density of GaN NWs grown on different substrates are highly dependent on the lattice mismatch between the NWs and their substrates. Results indicate that NWs grown on PGaN have better quality and higher density compared to NWs on PZnO.L. Shekari, H. Abu Hassan, S. M. Thahab, and Z. HassanCopyright © 2011 L. Shekari et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/431382/The high-yield synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) primary nanoparticles with high purity and with diameters between 6 and 22 nm using bicontinuous microemulsions is reported in this work. The ZnO nanoparticles were made by hydrolysis of Zn(NO3)2 with NaOH aqueous solution and precipitation, followed by calcination of the precipitate. Higher yields and productivities of ZnO nanoparticles were obtained compared to values produced with w/o micremulsions reported in the literature. Particles were characterized by transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction, and atomic absorption spectroscopy.S. López-Cuenca, L. A. Pérez Carrillo, M. Rabelero Velasco, R. Díaz de León, H. Saade, R. G. López, E. Mendizábal, and J. E. PuigCopyright © 2011 S. López-Cuenca et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/140697/The thickness of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer significantly affects not only the optical and electrical properties, but also its mechanical durability. To evaluate these influences on the molybdenum-doped zinc oxide layer deposited on a flexible polyethersulfone (PES) substrate by using a dual-ion-beam sputtering system, films with various thicknesses were prepared at a same condition and their optical and electrical performances have been compared. The results show that all the deposited films present a crystalline wurtzite structure, but the preferred orientation changes from (002) to (100) with increasing the film thickness. Thicker layer contains a relative higher carrier concentration, but the consequently accumulated higher internal stress might crack the film and retard the carrier mobility. The competition of these two opposite trends for carrier concentration and carrier mobility results in that the electrical resistivity of molybdenum-doped zinc oxide first decreases with the thickness but suddenly rises when a critical thickness is reached.Chin-Chiuan Kuo, Chi-Chang Liu, Shao-Chih He, Jing-Tang Chang, and Ju-Liang HeCopyright © 2011 Chin-Chiuan Kuo et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/514205/Core-shell nanomaterials based on CdSe as the core and ZnO as the shell were prepared using an aqueous route involving the use of Cd salt and NaBH4 in reaction with Se to generate CdSe in the presence of thioglycerol (TG) as a stabilizer. ZnO has been prepared at pH 12 using stronger base such as NaOH at lower concentration and by varying amounts of Zn2+ ions ranging from 2.5, 5, 25 mL, and 50 mL to prepare core-shell nanomaterials. The absorption and emission spectral features are dominated by CdSe nanoparticles with typical shift in the emission maxima red-shifted in relation to the band edges. There is an observable change in the band edge from the core as the amount of ZnO is increased. The TEM features showed the formation of the core-shell from the volume of 5 mL which is indicated by the thin layer of shell on the surface of the CdSe core.B. P. Rakgalakane and M. J. MolotoCopyright © 2011 B. P. Rakgalakane and M. J. Moloto. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/239289/TiO2 nanopowder, loaded with SiO2 and Cu-SiO2, was prepared under both acidic and basic environments via the hydrothermal method. The morphology and structure of TiO2 were studied by XRD, TEM, and FT-IR. The photocatalytic activity of samples was studied by monitoring the degradation of methyl orange, using a UV-visible spectrophotometer. The effect of Ti/Si ratio, pH, and Cu2+ addition on the formation of TiO2 and its photocatalytic activity was investigated in detail. The results show that a large surface area and a high surface acidity were important factors to achieve good TiO2 performance. The presence of Ti-O-Si bonding enhanced surface acidity, which improved its ability to adsorb more hydroxyl radicals and increased its surface area. The addition of 0.1 mol% concentration of Cu2+ and 25 mol% SiO2 in TiO2 induced the formation of new states close to the conduction band, which narrowed the band gap energy and enhanced the photodegradation efficiency.Ramarao Poliah and Srimala SreekantanCopyright © 2011 Ramarao Poliah and Srimala Sreekantan. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2011/815709/We report the synthesis of In2S3 nanorods in a nonionic sugar-based water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion system using food grade sucrose ester as biosurfactant. In2S3 was formed by mixing indium (III) chloride and thioacetamide in the water core of the microemulsion system. The as-prepared yellowish In2S3 was characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Formation of spherical or rod-like In2S3 nanomaterials was dependent on reaction time. Rod-like In2S3, arranged in bundles, was formed only after 2 days of reaction time. Upon longer aging time, a mixture of rod-like and spherical In2S3 was formed. A plausible formation mechanism of the In2S3 nanorods in the sucrose ester microemulsion was postulated. The diameter of the In2S3 nanorods was found to be very small, which is 8.97±2.36 nm with aspect ratio of 20 : 1 (length : diameter).N. M. HuangCopyright © 2011 N. M. Huang. All rights reserved.