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The preparation of copper manganite (hopcalite, Cu1.5Mn1.5O4), as a single phase, was achieved by using a sustainable method of green synthesis. This method is based on the replacement of the conventional "brute force" ceramic preparation by the recent "soft force" green synthesis via the egg white assisted one-step method. In other words, we present a facile and rapid methodology to prepare the nanocrystalline Cu1.5Mn1.5O4 spinel as a single phase, compared to our previous work using ceramic and glycine-assisted combustion methods. The as-synthesized copper manganite was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). We used a vibrating sample magnetometer to determine the magnetic properties of the prepared sample (VSM). XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS and transmittance electron micrograph (TEM) resulted in synthesis of a successful cubic spinel Cu1.5Mn1.5O4 system with a sponge crystal structure. The particles of the prepared materials are polycrystalline in their nature and the sizes ranged between 50 and 100 nm. The magnetic measurement demonstrated that the generated nanostructure has been found to exhibit ferromagnetism at room temperature with an optimum saturation magnetization value (0.2944 emu/g). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The investigated composed particles are of interest for future applications for nanoparticle-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analytics and as components in plasmonic sensing, such as biomolecules. The presence of the polycationic macromolecule poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (poly-DADMAC) has a strong effect on the shape and size of colloidal gold nanoparticles formed by the reduction of tetrachloroauric acid with ascorbic acid in aqueous solution. It slows down nanoparticle growth and supports the formation of nonspherical, partially highly fractal and hierarchical nanoparticle shapes. Four structural levels have been recognized from the near-spherical gold nanoparticles in the lower nanometer range over compact aggregates in the midnanometer range and flower and star-like particles in the submicron range up to larger filamentous aggregates. High-contrast scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that single gold nanoparticles and clusters of them are connected by bundles of macromolecules in large aggregates. The investigation showed that a large spectrum of different nanoparticle shapes and sizes can be accessed by tuning the poly-DADMAC concentrations and their ratio to other reactants. The nanoassemblies with a very high specific surface area might be of interest for SERS and heterogeneous catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, structural colors were fabricated by producing an amorphous array with atypical silica particles. The colors were controlled by an array of silica particles with different sizes. In previous research, the process required inducement of the amorphous array, which was complex. Meanwhile, in this paper, we proposed a simple one-step process. First, spherical silica nanoparticles were synthesized using the sol-gel process of the Stöber method. Atypical silica particles that induced an amorphous array were produced by adding a small amount of phenol-formaldehyde resin. Subsequently, the colloidal silica was converted to a powder using a convection oven. The characteristics of the synthesized silica particles were confirmed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). All the synthesized silica powders obtained structural colors. Finally, the silica powders were dispersed in deionized (DI) water and coated on a glass slide. We confirmed that the silica particles showed different structural colors depending on the size of the particles. We also found that the color was highly independent of the viewing angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines the potential of using calcium and magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles synthetized through a quick precipitation method as soil stabilizers for improving the engineering properties of tropical residual soil. The engineering properties of untreated and nanoparticles-treated soil were studied by carrying out a series of geotechnical tests including compaction, Atterberg limits, falling head permeability, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS). The stabilization mechanisms associated with soil–chemical reactions were further explored by performing microstructural analyses such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), variable-pressure scanning electron microscope (VP-SEM), and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The findings revealed that the calcium hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles improved the geotechnical properties of residual soils in terms of reduced hydraulic conductivity and increased UCS. The percentage reduction of the hydraulic conductivity of magnesium and calcium hydroxide nanoparticles-treated soils compared to untreated soil after seven weeks of permeation were 85.14% and 98.70%, respectively. The magnesium and calcium hydroxide nanoparticles-treated soils subjected to 14 days of curing recorded a percentage increase in the UCS of 148.05% and 180.17%, respectively compared to untreated soil. Hence, it can be concluded that both magnesium and calcium hydroxide nanoparticles can be effectively utilized as environmental-friendly stabilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]