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Objective: To establish a controlled pulp damage repair model in miniature pigs by using a diode laser. Background: Laser is a novel kind of controllable energy, and it is widely used in dentistry....

Nanoflower-like architectures represent a unique type of nanomaterials in which thin 2D nanosheets are self-organised into interconnected structures. Lack of restacking between nanosheets and significant internal porosity are the particular advantages of such nanoscale architectures. A general method for the preparation of nanoflowers of a range of oxides (e.g., FeTiO3 , TiO2 , Mn2 O3 ) through a two-step procedure of ball milling and subsequent hydrothermal treatment is outlined. Importantly, the synthetic method is valid not only for a single oxide, but is extendable to a family of oxide materials. It is established that the formation of the nanoflowers from ball-milled powders follows a dissolution-precipitation mechanism; this is confirmed by inductively coupled plasma time of flight mass spectrometry measurements. Additional information on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterisation and intermediate stage of growth of the nanostructures is included. Furthermore, two applications of Mn2 O3 nanostructures are briefly investigated. Firstly, their properties for energy storage in the electrodes of electrochemical supercapacitors are presented. A capacitive response in the potential window of -0.1-0.9 V versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode is observed, with an associated increase of the capacitance values over cycling. Secondly, the use of Mn2 O3 nanoflowers as model systems for the development of novel nanofabrication techniques (such as nanopatterning with a He+ beam) is investigated.

A Mach-Zehnder interferometer for measurement of temperature is proposed and experimentally demonstrated, which consists of two sections of single mode fiber (SMF) and a section of thin core fiber spliced between the two SMFs. The two welding areas are heated and stretched to improve the split and recombination of light. The wavelength of the resonant dip will shift when temperature varies due to the thermo-optic and thermal expansion effect. The experimental results show that a temperature sensitivity of 65 pm/°C with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.996 can be achieved in a temperature range from 25 °C to 80 °C. Due to its ease of manufacture, low cost, and high sensitivity, the fiber optic temperature sensor is suitable for temperature measurement applications.

Growing interest in developing devices that can be implantable or wearable requires the identification of suitable materials for the components of these devices. Electrochemical supercapacitors are not the exception in this trend, and identifying electrode materials that can be not only suitable for the capacitive device but also biocompatible at the same time is important. In addition, it would be advantageous if physiological fluids could be used instead of more conventional (and often corrosive) electrolytes for implantable or wearable supercapacitors. In this study, we assess the biocompatibility of films of anodized TiO2 nanotubes subjected to the subsequent annealing in Ar atmosphere and evaluate their capacitive performance in a physiological liquid. A biocompatibility test tracking cell proliferation on TiO2 nanotube electrodes and electrochemical tests in 0.01 M phosphate-buffered saline solution are discussed. It is expected that the study will stimulate further developments in this area.

We studied the role of organic semiconductor spacer tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) ( Alq 3 ) in a hybrid spin valve which is comprised of V [ TCNE ] x (x ∼ 2, TCNE: tetracyanoethylene) and Fe as the ferromagnetic layers. We compare two types of devices: Fe/ V [ TCNE ] x /Al and Fe/ Alq 3 / V [ TCNE ] x /Al, showing that organic spacer is not indispensable for the appearance of the spin valve effect. However, the device with Alq 3 spacer has magnetoresistance (MR) value one order of magnitude larger than the device without spacer. The MR of both devices diminish with increasing temperature, while only the Fe/ Alq 3 / V [ TCNE ] x /Al device shows room-temperature MR.

Porous polyaniline (PANI) is prepared by using sodium dodecylsulfate as a soft template and ammonium persulfate as an oxidant. Transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms suggest the existence of both macro/mesopores and micropores, and the specific surface area of 211 m2 g−1. As a result of its porous structure, the porous PANI exhibits highly enhanced utilization ratio during the charge–discharge cycles. This porous PANI also displays high cycle stability and rate capability.

The fabrication conditions of Cu–Al–Ni–Mn alloy powder by mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy have been systematically studied. The mechanically alloyed powder (MAed powder) was fabricated at a speed between 100 rpm and 300 rpm for various milling times with and without process control agent (PCA). With an increasing of milling time, the size of crystallite grain decreases. Only the Cu diffraction pattern appear as the rotation speed is up to 300 rpm for 25 h. The elemental powders with PCA agglomerate slightly, but the degree of alloying is lower than that without PCA. The shape memory recovery of the quenched sample hot-extruded at extrusion rate of 50:1 is measured to be 100% recovered in 250 °C oil bath for 40 s after deformed to 4.0%. After aging at 120 °C for 10 days, the shape memory recovery of the alloy remains 98%.

[ ∗] L. Zhao , Prof. M. Antonietti , Dr. M.-M. Titirici Colloid Chemistry Department Max-Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces Am Muehlenberg 1, 14424 Potsdam (Germany) E-mail: Magdalena.Titirici@mpikg.mpg.de Prof. L.-Z. an , F M.-Q. Zhou , H. Guan , Qiao S. . YSchool of Materials Science and Engineering University of Science and Technology Beijing 100083 Beijing (China) E-mail: fanlizhen@ustb.edu.cn L. Zhao Institute of Coal Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences 27th Taoyuan South Road, 030001 Taiyuan (China)