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Authors have investigated the thermal and electrical conduction behavior of Al/MWCNT composite fabricated by powder metallurgy method in which CNTs were pre-encapsulated with Ni. The thermal and electrical conductivity values were found proportional to the addition of CNTs. For 2.5% wt. CNTs addition with HIP treatment, the Al/CNT composite showed thermal conductivity of 476 W/m-k which is about 85% higher than the value of pure Al. Also, the resultant electrical conductivity was 0.405 × 10−8 S which is about 14% higher than the value of pure Al. The increased thermal and electrical conductivity can be attributed mainly to the well dispersion of CNTs through Ni-encapsulation and the enhanced interfacial bonding of Ni-coated CNTs with the matrix. Due to having good electrical conductivity of nickel itself, electrical conductivity of the composite was also enhanced which was further confirmed from First Principle study.

The mechanical strength of pure aluminum matrix can be greatly enhanced by adding a small amount of nickel-coated carbon nanotubes (NiCNTs), where the nickel coating helps to the uniform dispersion...

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a major role in cancer development and chemotherapy resistance. This study aimed to characterize circRNA profiles associated with Cisplatin (diamminedichloroplatinum, DDP) resistance of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of A549 and A549/DDP cells was determined using CCK-8 assay. Further, circRNA profiles and differentially expressed genes in A549 and A549/DDP cells were characterized by deep sequencing and cell proliferation was measured using MTS assay. Cell cycle progression was analyzed using flow cytometry. Apoptosis experiment was performed by TUNEL assay and flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion were assessed using the Transwell system. Finally, signalling protein levels related to cell cycle progression and migration were measured by western blot. CCK-8 assay showed that A549/DDP cells obtained strong DDP resistance. Further deep sequencing results showed that 689 circRNAs and 87 circRNAs were significantly upregulated and downregulated in A549/DDP cells compared to A549 cells, respectively. Moreover, the circRNA hsa_circ_0096157 with the highest expression level in A549/DPP cells was further analyzed for its potential mechanism of DDP resistance in A549/DDP. With or without DDP treatment, hsa_circ_0096157 knockdown inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and cell cycle progression but promoted apoptosis of A549/DDP cells. In addition, the western blot results also showed that hsa_circ_0096157 knockdown in A549/DDP cells increased P21 and E-cadherin but decreased CDK4, Cyclin D1, Bcl-2, N-cadherin, and Vimentin protein expression levels, indicating that cell cycle progression might be inhibited by increased P21 protein level to inhibit the expression of CDK4-cyclin D1 complex and decreased Bcl-2 protein level; and migration and invasion were suppressed by the increased E-cadherin and decreased N-cadherin and Vimentin expression levels. In contrast, hsa_circ_0096157 overexpression in A549 cells caused the opposite cellular and molecular alterations. DDP resistance in NSCLC cells was associated with significant circRNA profile alterations. Moreover, increased hsa_circ_0096157 expression contributed to DDP resistance in NSCLC cells by promoting cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cell cycle progression and inhibiting apoptosis.

Although the inhibitory roles of ursolic acid (UA) have been established in various tumors, its effects on the stemness of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells are still unclear. Here, we constructed NSCLC cells with paclitaxel resistance (A549-PR) and showed that A549-PR exhibited a remarkably stronger stemness than the parental A549 cells, which is evident by the increase of spheroid formation capacity, stemness marker expression, and ALDH1 activity. Additionally, UA significantly reduced the stemness and paclitaxel resistance of A549-PR cells. Mechanistic investigations revealed that UA inhibited the miR-149-5p/MyD88 signaling, which is responsible for UA-mediated effects on the stemness of A549-PR cells. Notably, miR-149-5p/MyD88 axis promoted the stemness of A549 cells, while inhibition of this axis attenuated the stemness of A549-PR cells. Therefore, these results suggest that UA could attenuate the stemness and chemoresistance of NSCLC cells through targeting miR-149-5p/MyD88 axis.

Present study aims to identify the essential mRNAs responsible for the development of brain neurovascular-related metastases (BNM) among lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. Further, we attempted to predict brain metastases more accurately and prevent their development in LUAD patients.Transcriptome data analysis was used to identify differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs) associated with brain metastasis, and thereby the ferroptosis index (FPI) is calculated using a computational model. Meanwhile, the DEmRNAs linked with FPI, and brain metastasis were derived by the intersection of these two groups of DEMs. We also constructed a ceRNA network containing these DEmRNAs, identifying theHere we report the development of a ceRNA network based on BNM-associated DEMs and FPI-associated DEmRNAs which includes three core miRNAs (hsa-miR-338-3p, hsa-miR-429, and hsa-miR-17-5p), three mRNAs (The expression of both

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of thrombolysis plus anticoagulant therapy vs. anticoagulant therapy alone in acute submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). Materials and Methods: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for randomized clinical trials comparing thrombolytic therapy and anticoagulation vs. anticoagulation alone in acute submassive PE patients from 1 Jan 1980 to 20 Jan 2021, with no drug or dose restrictions. Data on upgraded treatment of clinical deterioration, all-cause mortality, PE recurrence and bleeding events were extracted and analyzed using Revman 5.3 software. Results: A total of 10 randomized controlled trials involving 1871 patients were included in the study after screening. In terms of efficacy, thrombolysis combined with anticoagulant therapy reduced the need for upgrading treatment (3.6 vs. 10.9%, risk ratio (RR) 0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24- 0.54, p Conclusions: The use of thrombolysis plus anticoagulant therapy in acute submassive PE was negatively associated with patients requiring escalation of treatment, PE recurrence, and all-cause mortality, but it was positively associated with bleeding.

BackgroundEpidemiological surveys have suggested that lung cancer has inherited susceptibility and shows familial aggregation. However, the distribution and prevalence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) germline variants and their roles in lung cancer genetic predisposition in Chinese population remain to be elucidated.MethodsIn this study, EGFR germline and somatic variants were retrospectively reviewed from the next-generation sequencing results of 31,906 patients with lung cancer. Clinical information was also collected for patients with confirmed EGFR germline mutations.ResultsA total of 22 germline EGFR variants were identified in 64 patients with lung cancer, accounting for 0.2% of the total cases studied. Five patients were diagnosed as multiple primary carcinomas. Family history was documented in 31.3% (20/64) of patients, 55% of which were diagnosed as lung cancer. G863D was the most frequent EGFR germline mutation, followed by P848L, D1014N, and K757R. Somatic EGFR-sensitive mutations were identified in 51.6% of patients with germline EGFR mutations. The proportion of L858R mutation, exon 19 deletion, and rare sensitive mutation was 50%, 17.6%, and 32.4%, respectively. D1014N and T790M mutations were common in young patients. The family members of patients with P848L, R776H, V769M, and V774M mutations were more commonly diagnosed with cancers. A total of 19 patients were confirmed to have received EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), but the response to EGFR-TKIs differed among patients with different EGFR mutations.ConclusionChinese patients with lung cancer harbored unique and dispersive EGFR germline mutations and showed unique clinical and genetic characteristics, with varied response patterns to EGFR-TKI treatment.

Ultrasonic phased array technology has been widely used in the field of industrial nondestructive examination (NDE) but how to obtain the ideal results is still lacking. Based on Huygens’ principle, a one-dimensional ultrasonic phased array model was established to study the resultant sound field. Important parameters to the acoustic field characteristics of ultrasonic phased array were systematically investigated, such as the number of array elements, the working frequency, the focal length and the steering angle. Based on the simulation results, the optimal parameters can be obtained which can provide a theoretical basis for the actual application of ultrasonic phased array.

Aluminum powder compaction was studied using both test and simulation. Cold compaction, hot compaction, and vibration-assisted (cold) compaction tests were conducted to achieve different density ratios. First, the hot compaction test (at 300 °C, compression pressure 140 MPa) improved about 6% compared with cold compaction under the same compression pressure. Second, although the relative density ratio does not obviously improve at a vibration-assisted (cold) compaction, the strength of the specimens made under vibration loading is much better than those of cold compaction. Additionally, finite element models with well-calibrated Drucker–Prager Cap (DPC) material constitutive model were built in abaqus/standard to simulate the powder compaction process. The results of the finite element model have very good correlations with test results up to the tested range, and this finite element model further predicts the loading conditions needed to achieve the higher density ratios. Two exponential equations of the predicted density ratio were obtained by combining the test data and the simulation results. A new analytical solution was developed to predict the axial pressure versus the density ratio for the powder compaction according to DPC material model. The results between the analytical solution and the simulation model have a very good match.

Nanostructures tin (IV) oxides have been synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and sol-gel methods and their composites incorporated with multi-wall carbon nanotubes have also been obtained. The characterization of oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by Raman spectroscopy revealed more defects in CNTs with larger diameters. The tin (IV) oxide nanostructures have been investigated by X-ray diffraction methods, electron spectroscopy and Ramani spectroscopy and results have been showed that SnO2, synthesized by CVD method, characterized by more crystalline structure comparatively to the tin (IV) oxide sample, obtained by sol-gel technology. Sensitivity measurements of SnO2, CNTs and SnO2/CNTs samples towards hydrogen have been carried out. It was found that synthesis method affects not only on physical properties of tin (IV) oxide, but also on the sensing properties. In the case of CNTs samples sensitivity significantly depends on the diameter of carbon nanotubes and oxidation conditions imperc...

Based on graphene, an ultra-broadband electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) window with dynamic tunability is realized in theory. Through altering the Fermi level of graphene that can be regulated by the external voltage, the EIT window and the EIT effect, especially the slow-wave effect, can be easily adjusted. Moreover, the bandwidth of the EIT window can be changed by the incidence angle, achieving the transformation from broadband to narrowband. At the same time, by discussing the polarization state and loss index, the characteristics of polarization insensitivity and low loss are proved. Additionally, the influences of other parameters are discussed, such as the relaxation time of graphene and coupling distance. These unique features enable the designed EIT metamaterial to be masterly applied to optical switches, optical modulators, and slow-light devices.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are regarded as a desirable filler to develop advanced composites including advanced solders due to their exceptional mechanical properties. However, some issues remain unsolved for metallic composites owing to “wetting” and nonuniform dispersion of CNTs. In this study, electroless nickel coating onto CNTs was used to overcome these issues. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used for this study, and Ni-coated MWCNTs were dispersed in molten Sn assisted by sonication and compared with MWCNTs without Ni coating. Adding 3 wt.% Ni-coated MWCNTs, which corresponds to 0.6 wt.% pure CNTs, resulted in an increase in tensile strength by 95% and hardness by 123%. Nickel coating also prevented separation of the CNTs from the molten metal due to buoyancy effects, leading to more uniform dispersion.

The high thermal conductivity of thermal interface material (TIM) is essential since the heat dissipation of electronic chips in an integrated circuit is solely achieved through TIM, which forms the bottleneck of the heat conduction. In the current study, the efficiency of utilizing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to increase the thermal conductivity of a typical TIM 70Sn-30Bi alloy has been investigated. Encapsulation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with nickel by electroless deposition was used to prevent aggregation of CNTs and to enhance the interfacial bonding between CNTs and the metal matrix. The nickel encapsulation also allows avoiding the separation of CNTs from the molten metal due to the buoyancy effect. The dispersion of Ni-encapsulated CNTs was assisted by sonication. The thermal conductivity of 3 wt % Ni/MWCNTs reinforced 70Sn-30Bi alloy was found to be more than 170% greater than that of the base alloy.

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in metal matrix composites has been an unsolved issue since the discovery of CNTs. This paper presents a newly developed fabrication process of bulk Cu/CNT composite with uniformly distributed CNTs. That is, copper encapsulated CNTs powders were firstly fabricated by an electrochemical deposition where CNTs can be completely dispersed in the copper electrolyte assisted by sonication, and then the fabricated composite powders were used to make bulk Cu/CNT composite by a powder metallurgy process. The increment in microhardness of Cu/CNT composite after compaction and sintering was observed to be ~47.6% per 1% CNTs. The developed fabrication process of Cu/CNT composite powders by electrochemical co-deposition can be scaled up to meet specific application needs, and a similar process is expected to be applicable for other metals.

In this study, aluminium–carbon nanotube–nickel (Al–CNT–Ni) composite was prepared by powder metallurgy from pure Al powder and Ni-encapsulated CNT. Previously, carbon nanotubes were coated with nickel following ultraviolet-assisted electroless deposition method. Tensile strength and hardness of the composites were found to increase in proportion to the CNTs addition. For an addition of 7 wt.% Ni-coated CNTs containing 2.5 wt.% nanotubes of 8–15 nm diameter (Ni to CNT ratio was 1–0.357), resultant tensile and yield strength were increased by 129.26% and 157.48% respectively compared to pure aluminium. Hardness was also increased by 171.39%. These results were obtained while conventional sintering was followed by further consolidation by Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP). Enhanced mechanical properties are attributed to the well dispersion of CNTs in aluminium matrix and strong interfacial bonding between CNT and aluminium. Well dispersion of CNTs and strong interfacial bonding was resulted from the uniform Ni-encapsulation as verified by red shift in Raman Spectroscopy.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can greatly enhance the strength of metal matrix composites while resulting in ductility loss. This strength-ductility tradeoff dilemma always confines the development of material design and real-life applications. In this work, a temperature dependent strengthening analytical model is proposed for CNT reinforced metal matrix composites which considers three common strengthening mechanisms: Orowan looping effect, thermal expansion mismatch effect, and load bearing effect. The proposed model can predict composite material strength with different volume fractions of CNTs and under different temperatures. Combining the strengthening model with the stress based modified Mohr-Coulomb (sMMC) ductile fracture model, a ductility analytical model is then derived. This ductility analytical model includes the influences of temperature, multi-axial stress loading conditions, as well as the aforementioned three strengthening mechanisms. A good agreement has been achieved between literature published experimental data and analytical predictions for both composite material strength and ductility loss. The proposed two analytical models can provide a straightforward way to study the strength-ductility relationship for CNT reinforced metal matrix composites over a wide range of temperatures and different stress states, and then provide guidance on new material design and processing.

Based on solid-state plasma (SSP), an electromagnetically induced transparent (EIT) metamaterial is proposed. Simulations illustrate that the given metamaterial has the characteristics of adjustment, polarization insensitivity, and low dissipation. Because SSP can be coordinated in state I, the ideal transmittance frequency band can cover 8.0335–9.02531 GHz (a narrow band). If the regulatory status is switched to state II, that frequency region will alter to 9.7982–12.9275 GHz (a broad band). As SSP can be switched back and forth between states I and II under actual demand, the tailored EIT metamaterial can be achieved. The maximum group delays of state I and state II are 0.9437 ns and 0.5546 ns, respectively, and the maximum group refractive indices are 526.60 and 300.45, respectively, which conforms to its slow light characteristic. Regardless of how the polarization angle changes, the two transmission valleys of state I are at 7.9172 GHz and 10.4446 GHz, and the transmission peak is situated at 8.2091 GHz, and those values of state II are 9.3777 GHz, 13.9600 GHz, and 10.1920 GHz, respectively, which proves that the obtained EIT is polarization independent and also has a low dissipation factor. Such an EIT metamaterial has excellent properties in sensing, communication, slow light, and other fields.

In this paper, an electromagnetically induced transparency metamaterial simultaneously coupled with the incident electric and magnetic fields is designed and presented theoretically, whereas its reconfigurability, slow-wave effect, low-loss, and polarization insensitivity are analyzed and discussed principally. Based on the tunable solid-state plasma, there is a transmission peak with a 92.06% transmission at 0.544 THz in State 1 and a transmission peak with a 92.84% transmission at 0.7535 THz in State 2, thus achieving a frequency shift of 0.2085 THz. The maximum group delay, group index, and delay-bandwidth product in State 1 or 2, which are 723.7 ps or 494.7 ps, 1024.1 or 700.1, and 48.5 or 36.1, respectively, and the excellent slow-wave effects are discussed. In addition, the low-loss and polarization insensitivity are realized by rotating the split-ring resonators 180° and twisting the planar structure 90°. Considering the unique features of the designed metamaterial, it can be extensively applied to slow-light devices, communication, sensors, and nonlinear devices.

Interfacial thermal resistance between adjacent parts is important in the design of electronics and MEMS/NEMS devices as well as packaging. In this paper, the two-temperature model (TTM) along with...

Objective: CircPVT1 was identified as a tumor-promoted circRNA that is upregulated in several cancers. We researched clinical significance of circPVT1 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received cisplatin combined with gemcitabine chemotherapy. Methods: Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays were performed to detect circPVT1 expression in 96 patients with NSCLC. In addition, Kaplan-Meier methods were performed to analyze survival of patients with NSCLC. Results: There is no significant difference between circPVT1 and age, sex, histologic type, lymphatic invasion, or vascular invasion in patients with NSCLC and there is significant difference between circPVT1 and differentiation or p-TNM stage in patients with NSCLC. In addition, after cisplatin combined with gemcitabine chemotherapy, circPVT1 expression was decreased, and circPVT1 expression in the chemotherapy-resistant group was higher than in the chemotherapy-sensitive group. Survival of patients with NSCLC was associated with high circPVT1 expression. Conclusions: Our study revealed the clinical significance of circPVT1 in NSCLC after cisplatin combined with gemcitabine chemotherapy. After treatment, circPVT1 expression was decreased and circPVT1 expression in chemotherapy-resistant patients was higher than in chemotherapy-sensitive patients. Decreased circPVT1 expression in chemotherapy-sensitive patients is more notable than in chemotherapy-resistant patients. Therefore, it is possible to determine the effect of therapy after receiving chemotherapy by detecting the expression of circRNA in serum.

A relationship of the CXCL12 gene rs1746048 SNPs with AMI has been reported in American, European, Caucasian, and Pakistani populations. However, little is known about this association in the Guangxi Han population. In this study, we detect associations between rs1746048 SNPs and susceptibility, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and gene-environment interactions for AMI. 300 AMI patients and 300 healthy controls of Chinese Han were enrolled. Genotyping of rs1746048 SNPs was performed using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and then confirmed by direct sequencing. Significant differences in both genotypic and allelic frequencies of rs1746048 SNPs between AMI and the control group were not detected (P > 0.05 for each). The frequency of CC genotypes of rs1746048 SNPs was the highest in the 2 h < DT ≤ 6 h subgroup (P < 0.05). The frequencies of the CT genotype and the T allele were significantly higher in the severe complications subgroup of AMI (P < 0.05). There were interactions between the subjects with rs1746048 SNPs and smoking or alcohol consumption (P < 0.017 for each). Rs1746048 SNPs were not correlated with the risk of AMI in present study. For the first time, we discovered that the CC genotype of the rs1746048 SNPs was significantly correlated with DT of AMI; the frequencies of the CT genotype and the minor T allele were positively correlated with the severe complications of AMI. Also, the interaction between the rs1746048 SNPs and smoking or alcohol appears to increase the risk of AMI exposure.

In this study, the effect of Cu-coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the tensile strength of 70Sn-30Bi solder alloy has been investigated. Copper was first deposited onto metal-activated MWCNTs by an electroless process and confirmed with a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Sn-Bi alloy solder was reinforced with Cu-coated MWCNTs with additions of 0.5 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 2 wt.%, and 3 wt.%, respectively. 70Sn-30Bi solder was produced by melting pure tin and bismuth in an inert gas atmosphere. Cu-coated MWCNTs were then added into the metal matrix by cold rolling, followed by hot pressing to disperse the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the matrix. Tensile tests were conducted on an mechanical testing and simulation (MTS) tester. The tensile strength was found to be proportional to the addition of Cu/MWCNTs, and about 47.6% increase in tensile strength over the pure alloy has been obtained for an addition of 3 wt.% Cu/MWCNTs. The Cu coating may enhance CNT dispersion to prevent tangling.

Recent experimental studies by Chen et al. [1] , [3] showed that copper (Cu) matrix reinforced by a small amount of carbon nanotubes (CNT, about 4% volume fraction) will increase material strength by about 300% while sacrificing some material ductility. The strengthening mechanisms of Cu/CNT nano-composites were firstly studied numerically using 2D axial symmetric unit cell finite element (FE) models in Ls-Dyna, which consist of both copper matrix and CNTs. The simulation results were verified by existing experimental data. A round of parametric studies was performed to investigate the effects of several modeling parameters in the FE simulations. These parameters include the volume fraction of CNTs, aspect ratio of CNTs, size of hardening zone, and the “equivalent” hardened plastic strain in the hardened zone. Two main strengthening mechanisms are found that affect CNTs reinforcement prediction. The first one is the load-bearing effect resulting from boundary condition imposed in the models. The CNTs significantly affect the plastic flow of copper around CNTs during plastic deformation, which is one important reinforcement mechanism because of high aspect ratio ( H / D ) of CNTs. The second strengthening mechanism is found to be the hardened zone of Cu matrix around CNTs, which is introduced by manufacturing processes and/or the Orowan effect. The Orowan effect plays a key role in reinforcement especially in the nano-scale, which results in a very small inter-particle spacing. The Orowan effect was also studied using analytical methods. Both analytical solution and unit cell FE modeling well correlated with the experimental results for various Cu/CNT composites with different CNT outside diameters.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) encapsulated with copper chains have been investigated with quantum mechanics calculations, with an emphasis on the effects of copper on CNTs electronic structure and the resultant conductance. Density functional theory frames in conjunction with nonequilibrium Green’s function were used for the study. The results have shown that due to the interaction between copper and CNTs, the conductance of the metallic CNTs-Cu system can be significantly increased.

Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) incorporated with Sn–Bi alloy to form composite was successfully fabricated using an electrochemical co-deposition method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination found that MWCNT clusters act as the nucleation sites of BiSn alloy and form refined BiSn alloy grains. It was observed that the addition of MWCNTs eliminates the porous cavities associated with the deposited BiSn alloy by a bridging and nucleation/growth effect on CNT clusters. The addition of MWCNTs also changes the deposited BiSn composition by reducing the Bi content in the deposited BiSn alloy thus easier to obtain the desired low Bi content alloy with the desired lower melting points.

This study was designed to investigate the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway involved in Aquaporin1 (AQP1) expression caused by staphylococcal peptidoglycan (PGN) in cultured rat pleural mesothelial cells (rPMCs) in vitro.RT-PCR and immunoblot analysis were used to determine the relative mRNA and protein levels of AQP1 by PGN in rPMCs. P38 kinase inhibitor SB203580, JNK inhibitor SP600125, and ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 were used to determine the effects of PGN-induced AQP1 expression by immunoblot. Activation of p38 by PGN was reflected by detecting the phosphorylation constituent of p38, using immunoblot. The shift of localization after activation of p38 by PGN was investigated by immunofluorescence assay.AQP1 transcription and protein expression were decreased by PGN in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners in rPMCs. Down-regulation of AQP1 by PGN was blocked only by SB203580, neither by SP600125 nor by PD98059. Furthermore, rPMCs exposed to PGN showed activation of p38 MAPK. Phospho-p38 protein production was increased by PGN stimulation in rPMCs. The localization of phospho-p38 was both in the cytosol and nuclei after PGN treatment, while its normal distribution is mainly in the cytosol in rPMCs.AQP1 expression was decreased by PGN in both dose-dependent and time-dependent manners in rPMCs. This down-regulation by PGN-induced AQP1 in rPMCs may be mediated by the activation of p38 MARK pathway.

The electric resistance and transport properties of a carbon nanotube (5,5) adsorbed with a copper chain connected with two copper electrodes have been calculated by employing nonequilibrium Green’s functions and Density Functional Theory. The properties of the pure carbon nanotube (5,5) with the Cu junction electrodes have also been calculated as a reference. Both the equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions have been investigated. The results show that the resistance of the metallic carbon nanotube (5,5) has been reduced by the adsorption of a Cu chain due to the interaction between the Cu and the carbon nanotube. The change of the current–voltage curve slope is also explained in terms of transmission spectrum.

The electric resistance and the transport properties of a carbon nanotube (5,5) adsorbed with a copper chain connected with two copper end electrodes have been calculated by employing the nonequilibrium Green’s function and the Density Function Theory. The properties of the pure carbon nanotube (5,5) with the Cu electrodes have also been calculated as a reference. Both the equilibrium and the nonequilibrium conditions have been investigated. The results have shown that the electrical resistance of the metallic CNT (5,5) has been reduced by the adsorption of the Cu chain due to the interaction between the Cu and the CNT. The change of the I-V curve slope is also explained in terms of the transmission spectrum.

Lead-free solders have been gaining more and more attention recently. Sn-Bi system is one of the most promising candidates as the lead-free solder materials. In this article Polyoxyethylene lauryl ether (Brij 35) was used as the additive in the electrochemical deposition of Sn-Bi alloy. Various current densities and bath compositions have been investigated. Sn-Bi composites were successfully deposited on a copper substrate. The deposits were then characterized and studied by scanning electron microscopic (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Results indicate that the morphology and crystalline orientations are composition dependent. Intermetallic compound (IMC) was formed during the reflow process.

Silver nanowires have been fabricated using electrochemical deposition within the confined nanochannels of anodic alumina membrane on aluminum substrate. The characterization of structure, morphology, and composition indicates that the silver nanowires are uniform with about 50 nm diameter corresponding to the pore diameter of the anodic alumina membrane and almost single crystal with preferred growth along the [111] direction. Electrical measurements at room temperature showed that these silver nanowires were high conductive with a conductivity of approximately 0.13×105 S/cm. Also, individual silver nanowires were investigated by measuring current as a function of bias voltage until the point of failure. This study will be very useful for the development of future nanoelectronic devices and circuits that employ Ag nanowires.