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It is revealed that rigorous control of the size and surface of germanium nanoparticles allows fine color tuning of efficient fluorescence emission in the visible region. The spectral line widths of each emission were very narrow (500 meV). Furthermore, the absolute fluorescence quantum yields of each emission were estimated to be 4-15%, which are high enough to be used as fluorescent labeling tags. In this study, a violet-light-emitting nanoparticle is demonstrated to be a new family of luminescent Ge. Such superior properties of fluorescence were observed from the fractions separated from one mother Ge nanoparticle sample by the fluorescent color using our developed combinatorial column technique. It is commonly believed that a broad spectral line width frequently observed from Ge nanoparticle appears because of an indirect band gap nature inherited even in nanostructures, but the present study argues that such a broad luminescence spectrum is expressed as an ensemble of different spectral lines and can be separated into the fractions emitting light in each wavelength region by the appropriate postsynthesis process.

The corrosion resistant performance and durability of the superhydrophobic surface on magnesium alloy coated with nanostructured cerium oxide film and fluoroalkylsilane molecules in corrosive NaCl aqueous solution were investigated using electrochemical and contact angle measurements. The durability of the superhydrophobic surface in corrosive 5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution was elucidated. The corrosion resistant performance of the superhydrophobic surface formed on magnesium alloy was estimated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The EIS measurements and appropriate equivalent circuit models revealed that the superhydrophobic surface considerably improved the corrosion resistant performance of magnesium alloy AZ31. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D 3359-02 cross cut tape test was performed to investigate the adhesion of the superhydrophobic film to the magnesium alloy surface. The corrosion formation mechanism of the superhydrophobic surface formed on the magnesium alloy was also proposed.

In(OH)(3) nanostructures with controllable shapes were successfully synthesized using indium nitrate as an indium source by one-step electrodeposition process. The influences of the reaction temperature, time, indium nitrate concentration, and the applied potential on the morphology of the obtained products were discussed in detail. The results revealed that the growth behavior of In(OH)(3) was mainly determined by the indium nitrate concentration and applied potential, and well-defined ellipsoids, cubes, and rods could be prepared under suitable conditions. Their possible growth mechanisms as well as photocatalytic applications were addressed. Furthermore, In(2)O(3) nanostructures were obtained from In(OH)(3) upon heating, while size and morphology can be maintained during this process.

Micropatterns of ZnO nanoarrays were simply and successfully fabricated in an aqueous solution without any high-temperature treatment and/or expensive catalyst. In situ forced hydrolysis of patterned anhydrous zinc acetate, derived by ultraviolet irradiation with a photomask, resulted in heterogeneous nucleation and growth to form ZnO nanoarrays. Micropatterns of ZnO nanoarrays were characterized by FE-SEM and XRD. ZnO nanoarrays were well site-selectively deposited on anhydrous zinc acetate coated regions at 88 degrees C. HR-TEM clarified the formation mechanism in which anhydrous zinc acetate showed a tendency of forced hydrolyzation to ZnO nanocrystals at the initial stage in the reaction solution.

We have developed a technique for the site-selective electroless deposition of Cu on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate modified with an organic self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The PET substrate was first modified with a silica-like layer by being dip-coated in an acetone solution of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and treated with UV light. The PET substrate was further modified with thiol groups using a 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane-SAM and then irradiated by UV light through a photomask to prepare thiol-group regions and OH-group regions. Cu was then deposited on only the thiol-group regions of the substrate by electroless deposition in a neutral solution with no catalysts by using dimethylamineborane as a reducing reagent. This site-selective deposition process can control the deposition conditions by an organic thin film fabricated on a surface-modified PET substrate, and thus can be applied to other low heat-resistant substrates.

We developed a self-assembly process of silica particles to fabricate desired patterns of colloidal crystals having high feature edge acuity and high regularity. A micropattern of colloidal methanol prepared on a self-assembled monolayer in hexane was used as a mold for particle patterning, and slow dissolution of methanol into hexane caused shrinkage of molds to form micropatterns of close-packed SiO2 particle assemblies. This result is a step toward the realization of nano/micro periodic structures for next-generation photonic devices by a self-assembly process.

We developed a novel self-assembly process to fabricate an orderly array of particle wires constructed from a close-packed colloidal crystal without preparation of patterned templates. A substrate was immersed vertically into a SiO2 colloidal solution, and the liquid surface moved downward upon evaporation of solution. Particles formed a mono-/multiparticle layer, which was cut by the periodic drop-off of solution. The orderly array of particle wires was successfully fabricated, showing the suitability of the self-assembly process for the fabrication of nano-/microstructures constructed from nano-/microparticles or blocks. The mechanism of the assembly process and control of thickness, width, and interval of particle wires were further discussed. Moreover, an array of particle wires constructed not from close-packed face-centered cubic (or hexagonal close packed) structure but from two kinds of particles was realized to fabricate an array of particle wires with NaCl structure by this self-assembly process.

We report on the photoinduced superhydrophilicity of the surface of amorphous TiO2. Amorphous TiO2 thin films were prepared on self-assembled monolayers by the peroxotitanate-complex deposition (PCD) and liquid-phase deposition (LPD) methods. The surface morphology and topography were characterized in detail. The contact angles were 34° and 66° for the as-deposited thin films through the PCD and LPD methods, respectively, which slowly increased to about 70° and 73° after being stored in air. After irradiation by UV light, the contact angle vanished and the surface exhibited superhydrophilicity. The superhydrophilicity and hydrophobicity could be switched by alternatively exposing the surface to UV light and drying in an atmosphere filled with organic gases. Although the oxidation of the contamination on the surface has effects on the increase in hydrophilicity, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results suggested that the superhydrophilicity was also related to the transformation of the Ti−OH groups to ...

We developed a novel process to fabricate particle wires through self-assembly on hydrophilic regions of SAMs (self-assembled monolayer). A SAM of octadecyltrichlorosilane was formed on a silicon substrate and modified by UV irradiation to create a pattern of hydrophobic octadecyl and hydrophilic silanol groups. Ethanol or water containing particles (550 or 800 nm diameter) were dropped onto a patterned SAM. The solution was separated into two droplets with a liquid bridge between the droplets along the hydrophilic regions of a patterned SAM. The droplets and the liquid bridge were used as a mold for fabrication of a two-dimensional pattern of colloid crystals. Particle wire was formed between two droplets and colloid crystals such as an opal structure were formed at both ends of the particle wire after drying the solution. The particle wires constructed from a close-packed structure or non-close-packed structure, i.e., square lattice, were fabricated through self-assembly at room temperature using this m...

We have developed a novel method for site-selective deposition (SSD) of thin films using a seed layer. The deposition process of anatase TiO2 from an aqueous solution was evaluated in detail using a quartz crystal microbalance, and it was found that the nucleation and initial growth of anatase TiO2 were accelerated on amorphous TiO2 thin films compared with silanol, amino, phenyl, or octadecyl groups. Amorphous TiO2 thin films were deposited on silanol regions of a patterned octadecyltrichlorosilane self-assembled monolayer from a titanium dichloride diethoxide solution. This substrate was immersed in an aqueous solution containing Ti precursor to be used as a template for SSD. Anatase TiO2 was selectively deposited on amorphous TiO2 regions to form thin films. Consequently, a micropattern of anatase TiO2 thin film which had high feature edge acuity was successfully fabricated in an aqueous solution.

This paper presents a novel process for the fabrication of site-selectively deposited tin oxide ultrathin films (

Novel processes to realize low-dimensional arrangement of SiO2 particles were proposed. Particle wires and a pattern of the close-packed particle monolayer were fabricated in the solution at room temperature. SAMs (self-assembled monolayers) were formed on Si substrates and modified to be suitable for templates of precise arrangement. Particles were arranged precisely in the desired positions in the solution using well-controlled electrostatic interactions and chemical bond formation between particles and substrates.

We present a novel process to gain selective deposition and generate high feature edge acuity micropatterns of TiO2 thin films from a gas phase. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of octadecyltrichloro-silane were modified to produce a methyl/silanol pattern and applied as templates to deposit TiO2 through the use of titanium dichloride diethoxide. Patterned SAMs showed high selectivity for nucleation and growth of TiO2, plus a feature edge acuity of the TiO2 pattern well below 2.1%. Moreover, we developed a novel process to realize a two-dimensional arrangement of TiO2 particles onto a SAM from a gas phase.