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Nanocomposite thin films of Au–alumina with varying Au contents were synthesized by atom beam co-sputtering. The Au content and the thickness of nanocomposite films were determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. Transmission electron microscopy studies reveal the presence of Au nanoparticles with bimodal size distribution in nanocomposites for lower Au content. Overlapping Au nanoparticles were observed for higher Au content. The increase in size of Au nanocrystals is observed with increase in Au concentration as also evident by glancing angle X-ray diffraction studies. Ultraviolet (UV)-visible absorption studies revealed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak which showed a red shift from 519 to 602 nm with increasing Au content of the nanocomposites. Preliminary study exploring the interaction between Au nanoparticles in the nanocomposites and bovine serum albumin (BSA) showed the Au nanoparticles to be BSA sensitive, indicating their possible applications in biosensors.

International audience; The sensitivity of ZnO films, undoped and doped with Er, Ta and Co, to exposure to NH3 has been studied. The films were deposited by magnetron co-sputtering of a sintered ZnO target with chips of the different doping elements on its surface. The sensitivities of the ZnO films to exposure to NH3 were measured by the quartz crystal microbalance method using the resonance frequency shift. The adsorption process was investigated over an aqueous solution of ammonia with 100 ppm concentration. The speed and the mass of sorption were calculated on the basis of the time-frequency characteristic. (c) 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Sol– gel derived silica (SiO2) films doped with nickel oxide (NiO) nanocrystals were fabricated. A bifunctional ligand was used, bearing amine groups capable of coordinating the nickel ions and hydrolysable siloxane groups for anchoring the metal complex moiety to the silicate matrix. Nickel oxide nanocrystals precipitated at 500°C while the film was still porous. The nanocomposite films showed a reversible change in the optical transmittance in the VIS-NIR range when exposed to carbon monoxide gas. The effects of residual porosity, testing temperature, and carbon monoxide gas concentration on optical transmittance were studied.